R 722  . P4  1902 
Penrose,  Valeria  Fullerton. 
Opportunities  in  the  path  of 
the  Great  Physician 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/opportunitiesinpOOpenr 


PHOTOGRAPH  BY  REV.  KDSON 


OPPORTUNITIES 

In  the  Path  of  the  Great  Physician 
By 

VALERIA  FULLERTON  PENROSE 


And  they  brought  unto  him  all  sick  people  that  were  taken 
with  divers  diseases  and  torments,  and  those  which  were  possessed 
with  devils,  and  those  which  were  lunatic,  and  those  that  had  the 
palsy  ; and  he  healed  them. 

Matthew  4 : 24. 


PHILADELPHIA 

THE  WESTMINSTER  PRESS 

1902 


Copyright,  1902,  by  the  Trustees  of 
The  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication  and  Sabbath- 
School  Work. 


Dedicated 


to 

the  inspiring  memory  of 

E.  L.  L. 

with  the  ardent  hope  that  it  may 
raise  a jnemorial  medical  zvork  to  her 
* in  the  scenes  of  her  deepest  interest. 


Preface 


“For  a long  while,  eggshells  were  carefully  saved 
as  ointment  boxes  and  empty  milk  cans  for  liquid 
medicine;  the  latter  selling  at  a few  cash  each.” 

This  sentence,  revealing  such  painful  economy,  in 
the  latest  mission  report  of  a certain  station,  has  touched 
hearts  to  make  tangible  response  wherever  heard. 
“ If  they  only  knew  ! ” — the  opportunities  in  the  path 
of  the  great  Physician  would  have  greater  response 
from  his  name-bearers  here.  Ten  years  of  study  and 
telling  the  needs  have  proved  this.  May  this  little 
book  increase  interested  prayer.  May  it  be  the  means 
of  starting  medical  auxiliaries  where  the  many  willing- 
hearted  will  interest  many  others  in  making  hospital 
supplies.  This  has  been  the  custom  in  England  for 
some  years,  old  and  young  having  circles  for  making 
bandages  and  other  articles  for  the  foreign  medical 
needs.  Physicians  in  the  Church  of  England  have 
had  the  oversight  of  the  medical  mission  work  for 
several  years.  As  they  could  appreciate  the  necessi- 
ties, they  have  especially  appealed  for  funds,  and 
interested  many  more  at  home,  securing  better  hos- 
pitals and  dispensaries  with  better  sanitary  arrange- 
ments and  supplies.  The  growth  of  their  work  in  the 
last  three  years  has  been  remarkable. 

V 


Preface 


\ i 


The  work  is  for  our  King.  Should  it  be  so  in- 
adequate ? 

In  preparing  this  book  invaluable  help  has  been 
given  by  the  following  missionaries  who  revised  the 
chapters  of  their  respective  countries.  Thanks  are 
most  gratefully  made  to  : — 

Dr.  O.  R.  Avison  of  Korea, 

Dr.  E.  C.  Machle  and  the  Rev.  Courtenay  H.  Fenn 
of  China, 

Dr.  W.  A.  Briggs  of  Laos, 

Rev.  J.  B.  Ely  of  India, 

Dr.  J.  P.  Cochran  of  Persia, 

Rev.  Wm.  Jessup  of  Syria, 

Rev.  R.  H.  Nassau,  M.  D.,  D.  D.,  of  Africa. 

The  Boards  of  Home  and  Foreign  Missions  have 
supplied  the  necessary  information,  maps,  and  pictures. 
The  Foreign  Missions  Library  supplied  reports  of 
other  societies  at  home  and  abroad.  The  Rev.  James 
S.  Dennis,  D.  D.,  sent  me  much  statistical  matter,  his 
incomparable  Centennial  Survey  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions being  the  final  reference.  The  Rev.  J.  F. 
Dripps,  D.  D.,  very  kindly  acted  as  critic  of  the  whole. 

With  the  many  changes  that  occur  perpetually,  there 
must  be  mistakes  and  disappointments  in  the  book. 
If  only  the  reading  of  this  slight  outline  of  vast  oppor- 
tunity and  scant  response  will  but  lead  the  reader  to 
this  conclusion : “ Let  us  not  sit  down  and  wait  for 

miracle.  Up  and  be  doing  and  the  Lord  be  with 
thee.  Prayer  and  pains  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ 
will  do  anything.” 


Contents 


In  the  Children’s  Hospital — Tennyson i 

CHAPTER  I 
COMPARISONS 

The  First  Medical  Missionary — The  Witness  to  John  the 
Baptist — The  Commission  of  the  Twelve  Disciples — The 
Commission  of  the  Seventy — Medical  Missions  in  the 
Nineteenth  Century — The  Class  of  Men  Who  are  Medical 
Missionaries  (Dr.  J.  G.  Kerr) — Results  of  Critical 
Operations — Our  Efforts  Inadequate — An  Eskimo’s  Opin- 
ion of  the  Value  of  Medical  Missions — Change  in  Face — 
Opinions  of  the  Work,  the  Doctor,  the  Dispensary,  the 
Hospital,  Itinerating,  and  Results — The  Training  of  the 
Medical  Missionary — The  Largest  Medical  Work  of  All 
— Comparison  of  Hospitals  Here  and  in  Mission  Lands 
— Our  Annual  Waste — The  War  with  Spain — A Medical 
Missionary’s  Opinion 3 

CHAPTER  II 

KOREA 

Horrors  in  Korea — Sources  of  Disease — Cholera — The 
Mu-tang  — Smallpox  — Devil-posts  — Angwangi — Con- 
tagion Unthought  of — Favorite  Remedies — Confidence 
in  Our  Medical  Missionaries — Opening  of  Korea— Dr. 

N.  H.  Allen — First  Hospital — Character  of  the  Work — 
Beginnings  of  a Medical  Missionary’s  Work — The  Royal 
Korean  Hospital — Other  Medical  Centres — Itinerating 
— Language  Study — Food  and  Climate — Poverty  of 
Natives — A Dark  Figure — A Korean  Interpreter  of  the 
Bible — The  Value  of  Native  Workers — General  Medi- 
cal Mission  Statistics  .... 

vii 


17 


Contents 


CHAPTER  III 

CHINA 

Area  and  Medical  Provision — The  Need — The  Materia 
Medica — “The  Rhythm  of  the  Pulse” — Qualifications  of 
Chinese  Doctor — Diseases  in  China — Charms,  Supersti- 
tions— The  Awful  Sights — -Vaccination  Introduced — 

First  Medical  Work — First  Medical  Mission  Work — Dr. 
Peter  Parker — The  Canton  Hospital — Dr.  Kerr — The 
Only  Refuge  for  the  Insane  in  China — Work  at 
Canton — Our  Support  Illustrated  by  Sam  Kong  Dispen- 
sary— Lien  Chow  Hospital — At  Hainan — Work  in  Cen- 
tral China — Dr.  D.  B.  McCartee — The  Tooker  Memorial 
Hospital — North  China  Work — At  Peking — Paotingfu — 
Reconstruction — Tungchow,  Chinanfu,  Mr.  Ma — The 
Training  of  Students — Chinese  Hindrances — Chinese 
Good  Qualities — “ Wrath-matter,  Ch’i  ” — Early  Days  in 
China — The  Tien  Tsu  Hui — Reason  for  not  Becoming 
a Christian — Mrs.  Ding  Ai-nyok  on  “ Results  of  Un- 
binding my  Feet  ” — Opium — Three  Native  Prescrip- 
tions— General  Medical  Mission  Statistics 39 

CHAPTER  IV 

SIAM  AND  LAOS 

The  Siamese  Twins — Beginnings — Dr.  Bradley — Dr. 
House — The  Pestilence  of  1S49;  Superstitions — First 
Zenana  Teaching  in  the  East  1851 — Touring — Journey 
to  Laos — Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine — The  Father 
of  Medicine — Fees — Work  in  Bangkok,  Petchaburee, 
Ratburee — Rev.  Eugene  P.  Dunlap’s  Tours — The  New 
“ Kalamazoo” — Hon.  Hamilton  King’s  Visit  to  Laos — 

The  First  Laos  Hospital — Laotian  Doctors — Supersti- 
tions— Letter  from  Dr.  Denman — Cheung  Mai  Hospital 
— Ai  Keo — Dr.  Peoples — Dr.  Briggs — Pie — Cheung 
Rai— Effects  of  Itinerating  on  Spirits — Nan — Medical 
Statistics  of  Siam,  and  Malay  Peninsula 
viii 


83 


Contents 


CHAPTER  V 

INDIA 

Beginning  of  English  Rule — First  Medical  Missions — First 
Woman  Medical  Missionary — First  Medical  Class  for 
Women — Statistics — The  Death-rate  in  India — Reasons 
Therefor — Cholera — Traditions  in  Southern  India — Vil- 
lage Practitioners — Health  of  Foreigners — Women  Suf- 
ferers— Infanticide — A Daughter-in-law — Boys  and  Girls 
— Seclusion  of  Women — Native  Practice — Government 
Aid — Need  of  Patience  in  Dispensary  Work — Liquid 
Medicines — The  Largest  Medical  Mission  in  the  World 
—The  Sara  Seward  Memorial,  Allahabad — Dr.  Wanless 
and  Miraj — Famine  Relief  Work — Ambala — Lahore — 
Leper  Work  — Sabathu — Ferozepore — Opium — Plague, 
Pestilence,  Famine — Retrenchment  as  Viewed  by  Dr. 
Chamberlain — Medical  Mission  Statistics  of  India  . . .117 

CHAPTER  VI 

PERSIA 

The  First  Medical  Missionary — Needs  of  Persia — Practice 
— Sufferings  of  Women  and  Children — Sixty  Years  of 
Medical  Work — Sheik  Obeidullah — Dr.  J.  P.  Cochran — 

Mr.  Robert  E.  Speer’s  Testimony — Westminster  Hos- 
pital— The  Howard  Annex — A Day’s  Work — Tabriz — 
Teheran — Itinerating — Payment — Medical  Students — 
After  Teheran — Medical  Mission  Statistics 145 

CHAPTER  VII 

SYRIA,  TURKEY,  ARABIA 

Christmas  at  Beirut — Dr.  Post — Dr.  C.  V.  A.  Van  Dyck — 

A Mohammedan  Mufti — Ideas  Concerning  Women ; and 
the  Women — Necessity  of  Women  Physicians — Native 
Cures — No  Fear  of  Contagion — Fatalism — Hospital  for 
the  Insane — Medical  Helps  of  Syria — Illness  among 
Missionaries — Tripoli — No  rhysicians  and  the  Result — 
ix 


Contents 


Tours — The  Bishop  of  Tripoli — Dr.  Mary  Pierson  Eddy 
— Contrasts  in  America  and  Syria — Emoluments — A 
Bedouin  Woman’s  Love — Rev.  Cyrus  Hamlin’s  Cures 
for  Cholera  and  Malaria — Statistics  of  Syria,  Turkey, 
Arabia 165 

CHAPTER  VIII 

AFRICA 

Dr.  Wanless’s  Opinion  of  the  Needs — Dr.  Moffatt’s 
Opinion — Livingstone — Treatment  of  the  Sick— Belief 
in  Evil  Spirits — Witchcraft — Treatment  of  Dying  African 
Woman — A Plea  for  a Woman  Physician — Dr.  Nassau’s 
Description  of  African  Medicine  and  Needs — The  One 
Person  Free  from  Suspicion  of  Witchcraft — The  Dark- 
ness of  Africa — Guarded  from  Harm — The  Comfort  of 
American  Letters — Dr.  Nassau — “ Rules  for  the  Preser- 
vation of  Health  in  the  Tropics”— The  Success  of  the 
Work — Statistics  of  Africa  and  Madagascar 204 

CHAPTER  IX 

WHERE  LITTLE  IS  DONE 

Mexico,  Central  America,  South  America — Mission  to 
the  Deep-Sea  Fishermen — Alaska — Dr.  Lerrigo’s  Re- 
port— Porto  Rico — Japan — Dr.  Hepburn — The  Philip- 
pines— Medical  Statistics  of  Mexico,  Central  America, 
South  America,  Canada  and  Labrador,  Alaska,  Islands  . 228 
Dr.  Dennis’s  Summary  of  Statistics  of  Hospitals,  Dispen- 
saries, and  Patients  treated  annually,  from  “ Centennial 


Survey  of  Foreign  Missions  ” 262 

Field  of  Operation  of  Mission  to  Lepers  in  India  and  the 

East 263 

Maps 265 


x 


IN  THE  CHILDREN’S  HOSPITAL 


Our  doctor  had  called  in  another,  I never  had  seen 
him  before, 

But  he  sent  a chill  to  my  heart  when  I saw  him  come 
in  at  the  door, 

Fresh  from  the  surgery-schools  of  France  and  of  other 
lands  — 

Harsh  red  hair,  big  voice,  big  chest,  big  merciless 
hands ! 

Wonderful  cures  he  had  done,  O yes,  but  they  said 
too  of  him 

He  was  happier  using  the  knife  than  in  trying  to  save 
the  limb, 

And  that  I can  well  believe,  for  he  look’d  so  coarse 
and  so  red, 

I could  think  he  was  one  of  those  who  would  break 
their  jests  on  the  dead, 

And  mangle  the  living  dog  that  had  loved  him  and 
fawned  at  his  knee  — 

Drenched  with  the  hellish  oorali — that  even  such 
things  should  be ! 

There  was  a boy — I am  sure  that  some  of  our  children 
would  die 

But  for  the  voice  of  Love,  and  the  smile,  and  the 
comforting  eye  — 

Here  was  a boy  in  the  ward,  every  bone  seemed  out 
of  its  place  — 

Caught  in  a mill  and  crushed — it  was  all  but  a hope- 
less case : 


i 


In  the  Children’s  Hospital 


And  he  handled  him  gently  enough  ; but  his  voice  and 
his  face  were  not  kind, 

And  it  was  but  a hopeless  case,  he  had  seen  it  and 
made  up  his  mind, 

And  he  said  to  me  roughly,  “ The  lad  will  need  little 
more  of  your  care.” 

“ All  the  more  need,”  I told  him,  “ to  seek  the  Lord 
Jesus  in  prayer ; 

They  are  all  his  children  here,  and  I pray  for  them 
all  as  my  own  : ” 

But  he  turned  to  me,  “ Ay,  good  woman,  can  prayer 
set  a broken  bone  ? ” 

Then  he  muttered  half  to  himself,  but  I know  that  I 
heard  him  say 

“ All  very  well — but  the  good  Lord  Jesus  has  had 
his  day.” 

Had  ? has  it  come  ? It  has  only  dawn’d.  It  will 
come  by  and  by. 

O how  could  I serve  in  the  wards  if  the  hope  of  the 
world  wer£  a lie  ? 

How  could  I bear  the  sights  and  the  loathsome  smells 
of  disease, 

But  that  he  said,  “Ye  do  it  to  me,  when  ye  do  it  to 
these  ” ? 

— Tennyson. 


2 


KERR,  DR.  E.  C.  MACHLE,  AND  MEDICAL  STUDENTS, 


CHAPTER  I 


COMPARISONS 

Dr.  Livingstone  said:  “God  had  only  one  Son 
and  he  gave  him  to  be  a medical  missionary.” 

How  did  this  only  Son  bear  witness  to  his  power  ? 
“ Now  when  John  had  heard  in  the  prison  the  works 
of  Christ,  he  sent  two  of  his  disciples  and  said  unto 
him,  Art  thou  he  that  should  come,  or  do  we  look  for 
another?  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Go 
and  show  John  again  those  things  which  ye  do  hear 
and  see : the  blind  receive  their  sight,  and  the  lame 
walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed,  and  the  deaf  hear,  the 
dead  are  raised  up,  and  the  poor  have  the  gospel 
preached  unto  them.” 

When  our  Lord  “had  called  unto  him  his  twelve 
disciples,  he  gave  them  power  against  unclean  spirits, 
to  cast  them  out,  and  to  heal  all  manner  of  sickness 
and  all  manner  of  disease.” 

When  he  appointed  the  seventy  he  said,  “ Into 
whatsoever  city  ye  enter  . . . heal  the  sick  that 

are  therein,  and  say  unto  them,  The  kingdom  of  God 
is  come  nigh  you.” 

AVe  have  waited  until  the  end  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury to  obey  this  injunction  in  any  adequate  measure. 
Even  to-day,  all  the  Christian  people  of  Europe  and 
3 


Opportunities 


America  have  only  sent  out  for  one  billion  suffering 
people  in  other  lands  seven  hundred  and  two  doctors. 
We  keep  for  ourselves  in  America  104,803,  one  to 
every  five  hundred  and  ninety-seven  people.  Why 
not  spare  some  of  these  for  other  lands,  to  “heal  the 
sick  and  say  unto  them,  The  kingdom  of  God  is  come 
nigh  you  ’ ’ ? 

Some  say  that  it  is  only  poor  doctors  who  go  out 
as  medical  missionaries.  In  Canton  a quiet  man  was 
at  work  for  Christ  in  the  largest  missionary  hospital 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  It  was  John  G.  Kerr, 
M.  D.,  LL.D.  He  continually  performed  operations 
for  stone  (a  prevalent  disease  in  that  region)  for  each 
of  which  he  would  here  receive  at  least  five  hundred 
dollars.  Two  operations  here  would  more  than  pay 
his  year’s  salary  there.  He  did  it  for  Christ.  He 
stood  second  only  to  Sir  William  Thompson  in  the 
number  of  times  he  had  operated  for  calculus — one 
thousand  three  hundred  times. 

Wonderful  are  the  results  of  critical  operations  per- 
formed by  our  medical  missionaries.  Dr.  Chamberlain 
of  the  Arcot  Mission  (Dutch  Reformed  Church),  India, 
when  told  by  two  New  York  physicians  that  it  was 
impossible  to  have  such  a large  percentage  of  recovery 
in  certain  of  his  critical  operations  in  India,  replied 
that  the  Lord’s  power  is  not  hindered  on  the  mission 
field  by  unbelief  as  it  is  here. 

A Christian  Eskimo  in  Alaska,  in  reply  to  the  ques- 
tion why  his  people  received  the  gospel  message  so 
readily,  said:  “When  these  teachers  first  came  they 
did  not  command  our  attention  by  what  they  preached. 

4 


Comparisons 


But  when  they  gave  us  medicine,  and  said  this  and 
that  ailment  would  be  cured,  we  looked  to  see  if  what 
they  said  was  true.  And  because  their  medicines 
proved  to  do  just  what  they  said  they  would  do,  we 
learned  to  believe  that  what  they  preached  was  equally 
true.  We  learn  now  that  the  Saviour,  Jesus,  when  on 
earth,  not  only  preached  but  also  healed.  So  I give 
my  counsel  that,  wherever  missionaries  set  out  to  work 
among  the  heathen,  they  should  take  the  word  of  God 
in  one  hand  and  medicine  in  the  other.” 

But  so  puny,  so  inadequate  have  been  the  efforts  of 
Christendom  “ playing  at  missions,”  and  at  medical 
missions  especially,  that  they  remind  one  of  the  report 
quoted  by  Drummond  as  made  to  the  Italian  govern- 
ment, which  said,  ‘‘A  large  ship  was  seen  coming 
close  to  shore  last  night ; we  endeavored  to  give  every 
assistance  through  the  speaking  trumpet ; neverthe- 
less, four  hundred  and  one  bodies  were  washed  ashore 
this  morning.”  Do  we  not  also  make  “speaking- 
trumpet  ” efforts  in  this  work  ? 

Mr.  Douglass  in  his  “Hints  on  Missions,”  pub- 
lished in  1822,  wrote:  “The  character  of  a physi- 

cian is  always  and  everywhere  highly  honored  in  the 
East,  and  would  give  an  easy  and  unsuspected  ad- 
mission to  familiar  intercourse  to  all  classes  and 
creeds.  He  who  is  a physician  is  pardoned  for  being 
a Christian  ; religious  and  national  prejudices  disap- 
pear before  him,  all  hearts  and  harems  are  opened, 
and  he  is  welcomed  as  if  he  were  carrying  to  the  dy- 
ing the  elixir  of  immortality.” 

The  medical  missionary  can  do  in  one  year  what  it 
5 


Opportunities 


takes  five  or  ten  for  another  missionary  to  accomplish. 
Dr.  Asahel  Grant  of  Persia  had  twenty  times  more 
intercourse  with  the  Mohammedans  than  the  mission- 
ary who  was  sent  out  expressly  to  labor  among  them. 

“ The  hospital  is  the  secret  of  success  in  the  foreign 
field.  The  influence  of  a dispensary  is  fleeting ; but 
in  the  hospital  the  patient  can  attend  the  prayer 
meetings  and  have  time  for  thought  and  conversation. 
Even  itinerating  work  is  of  less  value.”  So  wrote 
Dr.  Sims. 

“ One  interesting  fact,  not,  of  course,  confined  to 
hospital  patients,  may  be  taken  as  absolutely  true, — 
the  change  in  face  undergone  by  those  who  are  learn- 
ing about  Christ.  I have  seen  this  over  and  over 
again,  and  on  asking  others  they  have  told  me  the 
same  thing.  Their  faces  seem  positively  plastic  under 
the  molding  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  dull,  unintel- 
ligent look  that  so  many  of  the  quite  ignorant  wear 
on  first  coming  into  the  wards  changes  in  as  short  a 
period  as  two  or  three  weeks  into  far  more  intelligent 
and  brighter  ‘facies,’  to  use  a medical  term.  We 
doctors  speak  of  the  ‘facies  Hippocratica,’  and  the 
‘ facies  ’ of  this  or  that  disease,  but,  thank  God  ! 
this  is  a ‘facies’  of  life,  everlasting  life,  and  not  of 
death  or  disease.”  Dr.  A.  R.  Cook,  of  Uganda,  thus 
writes  to  the  Church  Missionary  Intelligencer. 

It  is  difficult  for  us  in  this  country  to  realize  the 
lessons  in  order,  cleanliness  and  comfort,  which  are 
learned  during  residence  in  a mission  hospital. 
“These  cannot  be  forgotten,  and  as  associated  with 
Christian  teaching  and  the  sympathy,  tenderness,  and 
6 


Comparisons 


helpful  skill  of  the  Christian  doctor,  they  all  tend  to 
exalt  the  great  Healer,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.”  Says 
Medical  Missions  at  Home  and  Abroad,  in  com- 
menting on  a plea  for  a hospital  at  every  medical 
mission  : “I  am  impressed,  very  forcibly,  with  the 
necessity  of  such  a provision ; not  only  for  the  sake 
of  the  treatment  which  is  so  often  impossible  outside, 
but  for  the  sake  of  giving  the  women  the  actual  ex- 
perience of  what  a Christian  home  is  ; so  that  if  they 
forget  what  they  hear,  they  may  remember  what  they 
see.”  Dr.  Arthur  Neve  of  Srinagar  says:  “Hos- 

pitals are  the  most  important  factors  in  our  work,  and 
especially  in  the  spiritual  part  of  our  work.  A medi- 
cal mission  abroad  without  a hospital  is  a Samson 
shorn  of  his  strength.” 

“ Itinerating  work  on  the  part  of  a medical  mission- 
ary can  never  have  its  highest  value,  until  a center  has 
been  found  and  a hospital  planted.  All  the  real 
Christian  work  of  a doctor  is  done  in  his  hospital,” 
writes  another  medical  missionary.  “ There  is  not  a 
word  to  be  said  against  dispensary  work  or  itineration. 
Both  are  good.  But  in  missionary  strategy  we  want 
the  best,  and  it  is  the  universal  experience  of  medical 
missionaries  that  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel  a medical 
mission  without  a hospital  is  comparatively  a poor  and 
weak  instrument.” 

A writer  says  : “It  is  a false  economy  which  sends 
a fully  trained  and  qualified  European  medical  mis- 
sionary to  the  field  and  does  not  see  to  it  that  he  is 
provided  with  a hospital.  Some  of  our  missionary 
societies  have  failed  as  yet  to  grasp  the  truth  of  this. 

7 


Opportunities 


If  the  object  in  any  given  district  is  to  evangelize  as 
thoroughly  as  possible,  it  is  not  enough  either  that  the 
medical  missionary  should  itinerate,  or  that  he  should 
have  a dispensary.  He  is  sent  out  to  heal  the  sick  in 
order  that  such  healing  should  illustrate  both  the 
power  and  reach  of  the  gospel,  and  that  it  should 
perpetually  show  forth  its  spirit.  Neither  itineration 
nor  the  dispensary  give  room  for  this.  They  do  not 
permit  any  adequate  illustration  either  of  the  power  or 
of  the  reach  of  the  gospel.  The  medical  missionary, 
in  such  circumstances,  is  limited  to  the  mere  surface 
of  things.  He  never  gets  to  that  which  constitutes 
his  proper  work,  and  the  effect  is  proportionate.  If 
the  medical  missionary  is  to  attract  men  and  women 
from  all  parts  of  his  district  it  will  be  because  he  is 
able  to  deal  with  a vast  mass  of  diseases.  Without  a 
hospital  he  cannot  do  this.  A hospital,  with  the  bless- 
ing of  God,  is  fitted  to  be  an  incalculable  blessing. 
It  seems  absurd  to  urge  men  to  perfect  themselves  for 
Christ’s  sake  in  their  profession,  if  they  are  not  to 
find  room  to  exercise  it.  The  miserable  idea  that  the 
medical  missionary  is  simply  to  gather  people  together 
that  there  may  be  an  opportunity  to  preach  to  them, 
lies  at  the  root  of  the  parsimony  that  sees  no  special 
value  in  a mission  hospital.” 

The  gratitude  of  the  patients  it  is  impossible  ade- 
quately to  express.  From  Over  Sea  ami  Land  we 
take  two  testimonials,  both  from  China  : — 

“ I am  deeply  indebted  for  my  perfect  recovery,  but 
being  very  poor  I have  no  means  of  offering  a recom- 
pense. I have  merely  prepared  some  bundles  of 
8 


Comparisons 


variegated  fire-crackers,  to  manifest  my  respect,  and  I 
will  play  on  instruments  of  music  in  front  of  your 
house,  to  return  thanks  for  your  vast  benevolence. 

“ In  this  life,  in  the  present  world,  I have  no  power 
to  recompense  you,  but  in  the  coming  life  I will  serve 
you  as  a horse  or  as  a dog. 

“The  recollection  of  your  kindness  will  be  en- 
graved on  our  livers  and  galls  for  10,000  generations. 
Ho  Shuh  knocks  his  he^d  and  returns  thanks. 

“ May  your  happiness,  Medical  Officer  and  Teacher, 
be  as  the  Eastern  Sea,  the  waves  overtopping  each 
other  in  a thousand  steps  ; may  your  longevity  com- 
pare with  the  Southern  Mountains,  and  be  perpetual 
as  the  Sun  and  Moon  ; may  your  sons  and  heirs  be  as 
numerous  as  the  fruitful  locusts.  Kwo  Tingchang 
with  leaping  and  joy  presents  these  expressions  of 
gratitude  and  bows  head  and  worships.” 

“This  morning  a patient  sent  me  in  a feast  as  a 
thank  offering  for  curing  him  of  a serious  disease. 
Perhaps  you  will  be  interested  in  knowing  the  dishes. 
First,  a dish  of  rice  boiled  in  honey ; second,  a leg  of 
fat  pork  boiled  until  quite  soft ; third,  pork  balls  made 
up  of  chopped  meat  mixed  with  bean  curd ; fourth,  a 
cow’s  stomach  chopped  in  little  pieces  and  boiled  with 
garlic  ; fifth,  chopped-up  chicken  stewed  in  sesame 
oil ; sixth,  sea  slugs  mixed  with  oil  and  bamboo 
shoots ; seventh,  little  cakes  painted  in  red  dots  on 
top  and  made  of  steamed  flour ; eighth,  pork  in 
chunks  boiled  in  vinegar;  ninth,  eggs  planted  for 
three  years  in  a pickling  preparation  and  smelling  like 
ammonia  and  coal  gas;  tenth,  slices  of  Chinese  ham 
9 


Opportunities 


with  a species  of  doughnut.  I was  called  early  to  eat 
the  feast,  and  my  little  boy,  Charlie,  went  into  the 
hospital  with  me.  All  my  children  think  a real  Chi- 
nese feast  ‘just  lovely,’  and  enjoy  eating  one.  I al- 
ways eat  some  of  every  dish  whether  I like  it  or 
not.” 

Dr.  Malcolm  of  Honan,  China,  urges  all  preparing 
for  medical  missionary  work  to  take  the  very  best 
course,  adding,  “There  is  no  place  where  a doctor 
feels  his  incompetency  so  keenly  as  in  the  foreign  mis- 
sion field,  where  there  are  no  nurses  and  no  available 
doctors  whom  he  can  call  in  to  assist  him  or  of  whom 
he  may  ask  advice.  The  surgeon  must  himself  watch 
the  pulse,  the  anaesthetic,  the  careless  native  assist- 
ants, while  alone  he  performs  the  operation.  Let  no 
doctor  go  to  the  foreign  field  without  a good  hospital 
course,  if  it  is  at  all  possible  to  have  it.  . . . Do 

not  take  what  is  called  ‘ a course  in  medicine.’  That 
phrase  is  a snare  and  a delusion.  Terrible  indeed 
are  some  of  the  experiences  of  the  ‘ partial  course  ’ mis- 
sionaries.” 

The  Rev.  John  Lowe,  I.  F.  R.  S.  C.  E.,  writes: 
“ The  medical  missionary  must  be  able  to  teach 
others  the  principles  and  practice  of  his  profession. 
He  must  be  prepared  for  all  emergencies,  not  in  one, 
but  in  all  departments  of  his  professional  work. 
Probably  he  will  not  be  long  in  the  field  before  he  will 
be  called  upon  to  treat  cases  which  will  tax  his  skill 
and  self-reliance  to  the  utmost,  and  that  without  the 
help  of  any  consultant.  These,  let  it  be  remembered, 
are  the  very  cases,  which,  from  a missionary  point  of 
10 


TO  EVERY  '2,000,0(10  PEOPLE  IN  NON-OII 1! ISTI AN  LANDS,  ONE  MEDICAL  MISSIONARY.  TO  THE  SAME  NUMBER  IN 

THE  UNITED  STATES,  4000  PHYSICIANS. 

“OVER  SEA  AND  LAND.” 


Comparisons 


view,  make  their  influence  felt,  either  for  or  against 
the  one  great  object ; namely,  the  opening  of  the  door 
for  the  proclamation  of  the  gospel  message.  The 
medical  missionary  must  be  a devout  believer,  holding 
with  a firm  grasp  the  saving  truths  of  the  gospel,  and 
having  experienced  their  power  in  his  own  heart ; he 
must  be  a thoughtful  student  of  the  Bible,  and  pos- 
sessed of  evangelistic  gifts.” 

The  Church  of  England  has  recently  been  said  to 
have  the  largest  medical  missions.  Their  increase  in 
three  years  has  certainly  been  magnificent ; the  sta- 
tistics of  1901  report  thirty  hospitals,  twenty-two  dis- 
pensaries, with  sixty  medical  missionaries,  and  twenty- 
nine  nurses.  But  there  is  in  America  a denomination 
with  a still  larger  record  than  the  English  Society. 
This  is  the  Presbyterian.  Forty  hospitals,  fifty-four 
dispensaries,  and  ninety-one  medical  missionaries  are 
on  her  roll.  During  the  summer  of  1902,  nine  more 
sail.  Dr.  Dennis  says,  in  “Christian  Missions  and 
Social  Progress,”  that  this  is  the  largest  work. 

A Presbyterian  hospital  in  one  of  our  large  cities 
cost  $119,889.96  for  running  expenses  in  a recent 
year.  When  the  New  York  Presbyterian  Hospital 
burned  down  some  years  ago,  $850,000  was  soon 
given  for  its  rebuilding.  In  1901  the  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions  could  appropriate  only  $19,564.03  for 
all  the  medical  work  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  the 
richest  Church  in  America.  This  was  for  thirty-nine 
hospitals  and  fifty-four  dispensaries,  with  medical 
itinerating  supplies.  Of  course  some  of  the  patients 
can  pay,  and  the  appliances  are  not  such  as  are  de- 


Opportunities 


manded  in  America.  No  large  staff  of  trained  nurses 
is  to  be  expected. 

In  1888  the  largest  hospital  at  Canton  cost  for  its 
entire  support  only  as  much  as  would  endow  two  beds 
in  St.  Luke’s  Hospital,  New  York, — $1 0,000.  The 
Chinese  Medical  Mission  Society  pays  all  of  this  ex- 
cept the  head  physician’s  salary.  In  1901  this  hos- 
pital and  its  dependencies  had  44,698  attendants.  In 
a Press  editorial  of  1897  we  are  told:  “The  daily 
cost  of  a patient  in  the  Boston  City  Hospital  with 
500  beds  is  $1.43.  In  the  Johns  Hopkins  Hospital, 
Baltimore,  with  320  beds,  $2.33  ; in  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  Hospital  $1.83  ; in  St.  Luke’s,  Chicago, 
$1.72;  in  Pennsylvania  Hospital  $1.20;  in  the 
Presbyterian  Hospital,  Philadelphia,  330  beds,  $1.53.” 
In  Ururnia  the  beds  cost  the  Board  $25  a year,  less 
than  seven  cents  a day.  Dr.  George  Baker,  of  St. 
Luke’s  Hospital,  New  York,  says  it  is  because  of  the 
great  changes  in  antiseptic  measures  in  surgery  that 
the  cost  of  hospitals  is  ever  increasing.  “ In  the 
meantime,”  Dr.  Baker  appreciatively  says,  “the  in- 
creased cost  has  been  provided  for  by  a generous 
public,  ungrudgingly,  in  view  of  the  important  service 
given  to  the  patients.”  The  cost  of  the  New  York 
city  hospitals  for  1901  was  $1,742,030.47. 

London  in  1894  had  one  hospital  bed  for  every 
sixty  persons ; New  York  had  a bed  for  every  166, 
and  Philadelphia  with  forty-six  public  and  many 
private  hospitals,  one  for  every  260.  These  are  great 
medical-school  centers.  In  London  the  beds  run 
ahead  of  need  and  support,  so  that  there  were  from 


Comparisons 


3,000  to  4,000  empty  and  unsupported  beds.  In  our 
own  land  support  is  more  liberal  and  regular.  The 
path  to  professional  proficiency  and  to  reputation  lies 
through  hospital  wards ; and  so  long  as  this  is  the 
case  the  path  will  be  trodden  for  nothing,  or  for  a 
mere  pittance. 

What  a contrast  to  the  needs  and  supplies  of 
Christless  lands  ! What  a reflection  on  our  absorp- 
tion, our  self-centering  in  our  own  land  ! One  doctor 
to  every  six  hundred  ; one  doctor  there  for  every 
two  millions.  Millions  of  money  spent  for  our  sick 
here ; a few  thousands  for  our  medical  mission  hos- 
pitals there.  Gold  and  to  spare  here,  wasted  on 
tobacco,  liquor,  jewelry,  amusements,  while  there 
multitudes  are  dying,  their  cries  of  agony  unheeded 
by  most  of  their  brothers  here.  Our  capital  here  is 
$581,750,000,000,  greater  than  that  of  any  other 
nation. 

In  1898  the  Episcopal  Hospital  in  Philadelphia 
with  400  beds  received  $263,434.56.  The  Episcopal 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  reported  for  its  entire  for- 
eign work  $275,596.  This  society  has  a hospital  at 
Osaka  in  Japan,  and  one  at  Tokyo.  In  China  it  has 
at  Shanghai,  St.  Luke’s  Hospital,  and  medical  work 
in  the  medical  department  of  St.  John’s  College,  a 
woman’s  hospital  and  dispensaries  ; two  hospitals  at 
Wuchang  and  medical  work  begun  at  Ngankin. 
Counting  homes  for  the  aged  and  infirm,  this  society 
has  nearly  one  hundred  hospitals  in  this  country. 

Then,  too,  we  have  here  all  kinds  of  asylums — for 
the  blind,  the  deaf,  the  insane,  the  epileptic,  the 
G 


Opportunities 


feeble  minded.  None  of  these  classes  of  patients 
have  any  provision  whatever  made  for  them  in  lands 
other  than  Christian.  Our  mission  boards  have  such 
small  receipts  compared  with  the  needs  that  they  can 
do  nothing  for  them.  A few  missionaries  have  pri- 
vately done  what  they  could. 

Dr.  Wanless  in  The  Medical  Mission  says  : ‘ ‘ The 
supply  of  competent  physicians  at  home  is  four  thou- 
sand times  as  great  as  that  abroad.  Greater  New 
York  has  more  competent  physicians  and  helpers  than 
the  combined  medical  forces  among  800,000,000  of 
heathen  and  Mohammedans.  America  has  two  and  a 
half  times  as  many  physicians  for  the  population  as 
Great  Britain,  where  it  is  improbable  that  any  one 
suffers  for  want  of  available  medical  aid.  Yet  on  the 
basis  of  England’s  supply,  India  could  fill  the  hands 
of  190,000  physicians;  China  and  her  dependencies 
could  employ  260,000  more.  America  and  Britain 
combined  demand  an  army  of  450,000  educated 
physicians  to  provide  medical  aid  for  their  teeming 
multitudes,  but  Chicago  can  boast  of  more  physi- 
cians and  medical  workers  than  India  and  China  to- 
gether possess.  And  what  of  Africa,  where  100,000 
physicians  could  scarcely  cope  with  indigenous  dis- 
eases, not  to  speak  of  the  untold  suffering  resulting 
from  slavery,  debauchery  and  rapine  ? Then,  too, 
there  are  Siam,  and  other  Indo-Chinese  countries, 
Persia,  Arabia,  Turkey,  which  together  at  the  lowest 
estimate,  would  furnish  work  for  100,000  more.  About 
five  thousand  physicians  are  annually  graduated  from 
American  medical  schools.  Surely  America  is  in  a 

14 


Comparisons 


position  as  no  other  country  is  to  supply  the  needs 
of  the  suffering  millions. 

“The  United  States  Volunteers  in  the  early  days 
of  our  war  with  Spain,”  says  Mr.  D.  B.  Eddy,  “not 
only  offered  themselves  for  a dangerous  service,  but, 
fearing  lest  some  must  be  refused,  they  straightway  be- 
gan to  use  every  possible  means  to  get  into  the  field. 
Personal  effort,  recommendations,  political  influence, 
all  were  employed  in  their  eager  determination  to  be 
at  the  front.  What  a contrast  it  presents  to  the  atti- 
tude many  of  us  take  toward  ‘ the  field  ’ and  ‘ the 
front.’  ” 

Recall  the  hundreds  of  doctors  and  nurses  at  the 
front  during  that  war; — the  long  hot  days  at  home 
spent  in  helping  make  supplies  for  the  field  hospitals ; 
how  the  money  was  given,  how  the  supplies  poured 
in.  Think  of  the  various  ships,  The  Solace  and  all 
others, — private  yachts,  put  to  Government  medical 
use  ! 

Dr.  R.  A.  Hardie  of  the  Southern  Methodist  Mis- 
sion at  Songdo,  Korea,  says  in  the  Review  of  Mis- 
sions : “There  are  over  100,000  practicing  physicians 
in  the  United  States  and  Canada  alone.  One  physician 
to  every  six  or  seven  hundred  of  the  population,  and 
yet  we  send  but  one  to  every  2,000,000  of  the  perish- 
ing in  heathendom  ! We  can  well  spare  one-fourth 
of  our  doctors  and  the  remaining  75,000  would  be 
glad  to  see  them  go.  Some  it  is  true  are  offering 
themselves ; but  the  necessary  funds  are  not  forth- 
coming, so  the  doctors  are  not  alone  to  blame.  Prot- 
estant Christians  in  the  United  States  and  Canada 
l5 


Opportunities 


spend  every  year  hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars  on 
wholly  unnecessary,  yes,  often  harmful,  luxuries. 
They  spend  as  much  more  on  mere  comforts  and  con- 
veniences ; while  over  and  above  necessaries,  benevo- 
lences, conveniences,  and  luxuries,  they  save  annually 
5500,000,000 — a sum  sufficient  to  send  to  the  mis- 
sion field  25,000  physicians  and  their  families,  furnish 
them  with  homes  and  thoroughly  equipped  dispensaries 
and  surgeries,  and  support  them  for  at  least  ten  years. 
We  claim  the  name  of  Christian,  but  by  what  right  ? 
‘Whoso  hath  this  world’s  goods  and  seeth  his  brother 
have  need,  and  shutteth  up  his  bowels  of  compassion 
from  him,  how  dwelleth  the  love  of  God  in  him  ? ’ ” 
Said  a medical  missionary  recently  : “I’ll  tell  you 
a good  Bible  verse  for  the  people;  it  is  Judges  5 : 23. 
‘ Curse  ye  Meroz,’  said  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  ‘ curse 
ye  bitterly  the  inhabitants  thereof ; because  they  came 
not  to  the  help  of  the  Lord,  to  the  help  of  the  Lord 
against  the  mighty.’”  Shall  we  merit  that  curse? 
Need  we  ? Are  we  asking  God  what  we  must  do  to 
escape  it  ? We  should  remember  too  this  solemn  word  : 
“ If  thou  forbear  to  deliver  them  that  are  drawn  unto 
death,  and  those  that  are  ready  to  be  slain ; if  thou 
sayest,  Behold  we  knew  it  not ; doth  not  he  that 
pondereth  the  heart  consider  it?  and  he  that  keepeth 
thy  soul,  doth  not  he  know  it  ? And  shall  he  not 
render  to  every  man  according  to  his  works  ? ” 


16 


CHAPTER  II 


KOREA 

Korea  is  twice  the  size  of  Pennsylvania,  with  a 
population  of  thirteen  millions.  It  has  eight  hospitals 
and  fifteen  dispensaries.  Many  are  the  horrors  in 
Korea.  Rev.  James  S.  Gale  in  his  “Korean 
Sketches  ” tells  us  that  the  very  atmosphere  is  tainted, 
for  the  Korean  “ ties  his  dead  in  a mat  and  leaves  him 
to  bake  and  fester  in  the  sun.”  “ One  becomes  an 
expert  in  distinguishing  the  noxious  odors  of  smallpox 
and  cholera  victims  from  the  ordinary  smells  of  the 
far  East.  Seeing  a hundred  or  more  objects  covered 
with  matting  at  Fusan  I asked,  ‘What  are  they?’ 
‘ Those  are  the  dead.’  ‘ The  dead  ? Why  don’t  you 
bury  them  ? ’ ‘ Cannot ; you  must  first  find  a pro- 

pitious site,  otherwise  burial  will  bring  ruin  to  the 
family.’  ” 

Criminals  are  decapitated  and  left  in  the  roadway, 
on  the  supposition  that  this  will  serve  as  a preventive 
of  evil.  Mr.  Gale  describes  his  first  sight  of  such 
horrors,  adding,  “ I returned  home  in  disgust,  feeling 
that  I would  like  to  get  out  of  this  country  with  its 
horrible  dead  ; but  time  works  wonders.  I began  to 
see  another  side — that  the  people  loved  these  things  as 
little  as  I— that  it  was  a part  of  their  Confucian  re- 
G 


Opportunities 


ligion  and  that  they  needed  the  real  Light  of  Life  so 
much  the  more.” 

The  wells  are  a prolific  source  of  disease.  Foreigners 
must  have  them  dug  in  their  own  grounds  if  they  wish 
pure  water.  The  public  wells  are  by  the  roadside, 
seldom  more  than  six  or  eight  feet  deep,  and  within 
six  feet,  sometimes  but  three,  of  the  open  drain  carry- 
ing off  the  filth  of  the  city.  The  sewerage  is  very 
imperfect,  as  in  all  oriental  lands,  and  ill-drained  rice- 
paddies  are  found  everywhere.  Hence  malaria  is  one 
of  the  most  common  troubles.  Quinine  having  been 
introduced,  is  proving  most  beneficial  and  is  much 
sought  after.  Cholera  brings  great  suffering  every 
few  years.  The  wells  aid  it,  and  the  summer  diet  of 
the  people — for  green  cucumbers,  rind  and  all, 
frequently  furnish  a goodly  portion  of  the  meal. 

Cholera  is  supposed  to  be  produced  by  rats  climb- 
ing about  in  the  human  interior.  To  get  relief,  a 
mutang  or  exorcist  is  called  in,  provided  with  a pair 
of  telescope-shaped  baskets.  “ The  scratching  sound 
made  by  a peculiar  use  of  these  baskets,  which  re- 
sembles the  noise  made  by  cats,  is  expected  to  scare 
and  drive  away  these  rodents,”  writes  Isabella  Bird 
Bishop  in  her  chapters  on  Demonism,  in  “Korea  and 
her  Neighbors.” 

Dr.  Avison  adds:  “I  have  not  seen  this  plan 
adopted  though  probably  it  is.  A common  plan  is  to 
paste  a picture  of  a cat  over  the  doorway  to  prevent 
the  rats  gaining  an  entrance.  At  other  times  pictures 
of  horrible  demons  replace  that  of  the  cat.  And 
again  a cord  stretched  from  house  to  house  across  a 
18 


Korea 


street  as  yet  free  from  cholera  has  prayers  written  on 
paper  tied  to  it  or  in  some  cases  threats  in  the  hope 
that  the  evil  spirit  will  keep  away.” 

Mrs.  Bishop  tells  us  that  the  evil  spirits  have  been 
classified  in  thirty-six  classes.  There  are  thousands 
of  billions  of  them,  among  which  are  spirits  of  small- 
pox, spirits  which  cause  women  to  die  in  childbirth, 
spirits  which  cause  men  to  die  by  pestilence,  spirits 
which  cause  men  to  die  by  cholera. 

Ma-ma,  the  smallpox  demon,  is  said  to  have  come 
from  South  China,  and  has  only  infested  Korea  for  a 
thousand  years.  The  parents  do  obeisance  to  their 
child  sick  with  this  disease.  The  mutang  is  called  in 
to  honor  the  arrival  of  the  spirits  “ with  a feast  and 
fitting  ceremonial.  Little  or  no  work  is  done,  and  if 
there  are  neighbors  whose  children  have  not  had  the 
malady,  they  rest  likewise,  lest,  displeased  with  their 
want  of  respect  he  should  deal  hardly  with  them.  On 
the  twelfth  day  the  danger  is  supposed  to  be  over,  the 
mutang  is  again  summoned  and  a farewell  feast  given. 
A miniature  wooden  horse  is  prepared,  and  is  loaded 
for  the  spirit’s  journey  with  small  bags  of  food  and 
money  ; fervent  and  respectful  adieus  are  spoken,  and 
he  receives  hearty  good  wishes  for  his  prosperous  re- 
turn to  his  own  place.”  Fifty  per  cent,  of  the  deaths 
are  due  to  smallpox. 

Devil-posts,  with  grinning  teeth,  are  planted  along 
the  road  to  keep  evil  spirits  from  passing.  When 
cholera  broke  out  in  1895  these  posts  were  seen  every- 
where, with  the  inscription  on  the  front : “ This  is  the 
general  who  is  after  the  cholera  devils.”  Ditches 

19 


Opportunities 


were  also  dug  across  the  roads  “ to  make  sure  that  no 
spirit  should  pass.” 

On  New  Year’s  eve  doors  are  closed  to  keep  out 
Angwangi,  an  old  man  who  lives  in  the  upper  air  and 
collects  materials  for  New  Year’s  gifts.  He  is  “a 
villainous  old  fiend,  whose  gifts  consist  of  typhus 
fever,  cholera,  leprosy  and  the  like.”  To  protect 
themselves  they  may  bring  all  the  shoes  inside  and 
keep  a light  burning  in  the  night,  but  in  some  cases 
other  misfortunes  come  if  the  shoes  are  indoors.  He 
has  a mania  for  counting  the  meshes  of  a sieve,  so  a 
common  flour  sieve  left  at  the  door  attracts  his  atten- 
tion from  the  shoes.  “ He  counts  and  counts,  and 
before  he  is  aware  the  night  has  fled,  and  his  oppor- 
tunity to  scatter  New  Year’s  pestilence  is  gone.” 

Dr.  Avison  says,  “ The  Koreans  are  very  much 
afraid  of  some  forms  of  fever,  and  I have  known  them 
flee  from  the  house  where  it  was.  They  show  in 
many  cases  the  same  fear  of  cholera  in  their  vicinity.” 

Mr.  Gale,  on  one  of  his  tours,  spread  his  blanket 
on  the  floor  of  an  eight  foot  square  room,  opening 
into  another  of  the  same  size.  “When  I was  com- 
fortably located  for  the  night,”  he  said,  “I  was  dis- 
turbed by  sounds  of  moaning  from  the  room  into 
which  mine  opened.  It  was  so  darkened  that  I could 
not  see  clearly,  but  I made  out  two  children  covered 
with  a quilt.  I asked  the  grandmother  in  charge  what 
was  wrong  with  them.  Her  reply  was,  ‘ His  Excel- 
lency, the  spirit  of  smallpox  is  with  us,’  and  she 
hastened  to  make  her  evening  sacrifice  of  rice  cake. 
No  other  house  being  available,  nothing  remained  but 
20 


Korea 


to  spend  the  night  in  company  with  their  unclean 
spirit.  However,  no  harm  came  of  it.” 

Ginseng  is  Korea’s  cure  for  all  mortal  ailments. 
Men  search  for  it  as  for  gold.  Every  official  carries  a 
few  roots  .among  his  choicest  treasures.  It  is  said  to 
warm  you  when  cold  and  cool  you  when  heated. 
The  old  are  by  it  made  young  and  active. 

Foreigners  would  suffer  from  almost  any  disease, 
rather  than  take  a Korean  remedy.  Tiger  bones  are 
a favorite  prescription.  A native  doctor  at  Seoul 
classed  all  diseases  under  two  heads  : desperate  cases 
and  general  weakness.  He  prescribed  tiger  bone  pills 
for  the  latter.  For  the  former,  snakes,  toads,  and 
centipedes  carefully  boiled  together  were  warranted  to 
kill  or  cure.  A burning  ball  of  moxa  punk,  or  a red- 
hot  cash  piece  placed  on  a child’s  head,  about  two 
inches  above  the  brow,  and  left  till  it  had  burned  into 
the  bone,  served  as  a never  failing  remedy  for  con- 
vulsions. He  considered  epidemics  as  taxes  due  to 
the  great  spirits,  especially  for  children,  and  the  more 
gladly  they  paid  them  the  sooner  would  the  spirit  be 
appeased.  Into  every  part  of  the  human  body  his 
long  needle  had  been  run,  as  far  as  possible.  “ If 
you  do  it  badly,”  he  said,  “the  patient  dies.” 

“ No  attempt  is  made  to  keep  this  instrument  clean, 
and  frightful  abscesses,  not  infrequently  causing  death, 
often  follow  its  use,”  says  Doctor  Hardie  of  Songdo. 

Our  medical  missionaries  have  been  winning  confi- 
dence. They  treat  the  royal  family.  They  must 
keep  careful  memoranda  “of  the  flavor  which  dis- 
guises the  medicine,  of  the  color  of  the  compound 


21 


Opportunities 


and  the  shape  of  the  bottle.”  Medicine  has  been  re- 
turned as  wrong  because  it  had  not  conformed  to 
previous  color,  taste  and  bottle. 

Korea  had  been  long  sealed  to  all  outsiders,  and  it 
was  not  till  1882  tha*-  a treaty  with  the  United  States 
was  signed  and  in  1883  General  Foote  was  made 
minister  plenipotentiary.  The  Presbyterian  Board 
appointed  G.  W.  Heron,  M.  D.,  as  medical  mission- 
ary, but  his  coming  was  delayed  and  Dr.  N.  H. 
Allen  was  transferred  from  China.  He  joined  the 
Legation  in  1884  as  a physician,  not  even  General 
Foote  knowing  that  he  was  a missionary ; — no  mis- 
sionary was  then  tolerated  in  Korea.  A few  months 
later  a riot  occurred,  in  which  Prince  Min  Yong  Ik, 
the  queen’s  nephew,  next  to  the  king  in  rank,  was 
severely  wounded.  Dr.  Allen’s  bravery  in  crossing 
the  city  alone  at  night,  and  his  successful  treatment 
of  the  prince’s  wounds,  which  had  been  stopped  with 
wax,  won  him  favor;  and  he  was  asked  to  prescribe 
for  the  king  and  royal  family.  The  king  talked  with 
him,  and  learning  of  the  importance  of  a hospital,  he 
founded  a general  government  hospital  and  Dr.  Allen 
was  placed  at  its  head. 

In  the  summer  of  1885  J.  W.  Heron,  M.  D.,  with 
his  wife  entered  the  hospital  work  with  Dr.  Allen. 
The  missionary  object  was  now  known,  but  fears  were 
groundless.  Dr.  W.  B.  Scranton  of  the  Methodist 
Board  soon  arrived  and  founded  a hospital.  In  1886 
Miss  A.  Ellers,  M.  D.,  arrived  and  a woman’s  ward 
was  added  to  the  Government  Hospital,  Dr,  Ellers 
taking  charge  of  it,  and  becoming  physician  to  the 
22 


ROYAL  HOSPITAL,  SEOUL,  KOREA. 


Korea 


queen.  A school  for  training  physicians  was  also  es- 
tablished in  connection  with  it.  This  building  has 
proved  utterly  inadequate,  and  as  soon  as  all  arrange- 
ments about  site,  etc.,  can  be  made,  a gift  of  $10,000 
will  erect  a new  hospital. 

We  quote  from  the  Annual  Report  for  1901  of  the 
Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  : — 

“At  Pyeng  Yang,  Dr.  Wells  reports  an  attendance 
of  11,678  patients,  of  whom  6,550  came  for  the  first 
time,  and  203  in-patients  were  treated  in  the  wards. 
His  report  remarks  ‘ an  increase  and  a deepening  of 
the  spiritual  impressions.’  Two  hundred  and  forty- 
four  important  operations  have  been  done,  twice  as 
many  under  general  anaesthetics  as  ever  before.  Of 
these  ninety-five  were  on  the  eyes,  twenty-three  of 
them  being  for  the  extraction  of  cataracts. 

“ ‘ The  progress  of  the  class  in  pharmacy  and  med- 
icine has  been  very  satisfactory,  though  the  number 
has  decreased  from  eight  to  four.  All  are  Christians 
and  in  their  daily  attendance  render  great  assistance, 
not  only  in  medical  work,  but  also  in  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel.’  Receipts  from  Koreans  have  been 
439  yen,  and  gifts  from  foreigners  500  yen.  Surgical 
wards  are  being  built  from  the  gifts  of  friends  of  the 
work. 

“‘In  April,  Mrs.  Moffett,  M.  D.,  opened  a small 
dispensary  for  women.  In  seventy-six  dispensary  days 
she  had  treated  415  patients,  247  being  new  cases. 
She  has  gone  to  the  homes  of  women  for  ten  special 
cases  and  assisted  at  or  performed  ten  operations.’ 

“Dr.  Irvin’s  medical  work  is  the  most  prominent 
23 


Opportunities 


feature  of  work  in  Fusan.  He  has  treated  8,323 
patients,  performed  431  surgical  operations,  and  made 
705  visits  to  the  sick  in  homes.  The  patients  have 
paid  in  fees  912  yen  and  a large  share  of  all  the 
traveling  expenses,  so  that  the  work  is  two-thirds  self- 
supporting.  Daily  evangelistic  services  are  held  in 
the  dispensary,  and  many  are  the  copies  of  gospel 
books  sold  to  grateful  patients. 

“ Dr.  Irvin’s  earnest  appeals  for  surgical  wards  have 
been  heard,  and  a long-needed  structure  is  being 
erected  by  the  members  of  the  First  Church  of  Mont- 
clair, N.  J.,  the  Junkin  Memorial  Hospital. 

“‘The  medical  work  at  Taiku  has  been  encour- 
aging, although  the  dispensary  did  not  open  formally 
until  about  Christmas.  There  have  been  treated 
1,756  patients,  of  which  800  were  new  patients. 
There  have  been  fifty  surgical  operations  and  eighty 
visits  made  to  the  homes  of  the  sick.’  One  hundred 
and  thirty-nine  yen  was  received  in  payment  for  medi- 
cines. ‘Every  Sabbath  there  have  been  seen  at  the 
church  service  a number  of  the  halt,  maimed,  and 
bandaged,  several  of  whom  have  declared  that  they 
have  given  up  spirit-worship  and  intend  to  follow  the 
Jesus  doctrine.’ 

“ ‘The  removal  of  five  gallons  of  fluid  from  an  ab- 
dominal cyst  in  the  case  of  a young  Catholic  woman 
gained  for  us  the  good  will  of  many  of  her  friends 
among  the  Romanists.  The  priest’s  assistant  as  well 
as  the  leading  Korean  Romanist  in  the  city  has  also 
been  treated.’  ” 

A previous  report  says  : 

2-1 


“ It  is  a very  satisfactory 


Korea 


fact  that  so  much  direct  evangelistic  work  is  done  in 
connection  with  the  skillful  ministering  to  the  bodily 
wants  of  the  patients.  It  is  not  all  medical  missionary 
institutions  that  report  so  sympathetically  of  daily 
religious  services,  morning  and  evening,  of  weekly 
prayer  meetings  besides  Sunday  services,  and  of  much 
private  religious  teaching  both  from  missionaries  and 
native  Christians.  The  evangelistic  spirit  which  so 
eminently  pervades  the  Korean  mission,  stimulated  as 
it  must  be  by  the  eager  desire  for  religious  instruction 
on  the  part  of  the  natives,  seems  to  govern  the  medical 
workers  in  all  their  aims  and  methods.  In  this  light, 
this  department  promises  to  be  an  exceptionally  strong 
one  in  the  advancing  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  the 
land.  Pyeng  Yang  is  the  ancient  capital  of  the  northern 
kingdom,  the  center  of  a wide  influence;  fifty  miles 
up  the  Taitong  River;  occupied  as  a mission  station, 
1894.  Fusan  is  an  open  port  on  the  southeast  coast, 
gateway  of  a large  region,  occupied  as  a mission 
station  in  1891.  While  Taiku  is  most  important  for 
medical  work,  being  the  ancient  capital  of  the  south- 
eastern kingdom,  the  center  of  influence  in  the  most 
fertile  and  populous  of  the  provinces,  100  miles  inland 
from  Fusan,  on  the  Naktong  River;  occupied  as  a 
mission  station,  1898.” 

Considerable  itineration  has  been  done  by  the  phy- 
sicians of  the  several  stations.  This  is  of  decided 
advantage  to  the  cause ; and  it  is  probable  that  it  will 
be  pushed  still  more  in  the  future.  A medical  class 
of  seven  has  been  under  instruction  at  Seoul,  with  en- 
couraging results  so  far.  Some  of  the  students  bear 
25 


Opportunities 


their  own  expenses.  Hereafter  all  new  students  in 
medicine  will  be  expected  to  support  themselves. 

From  personal  letters  we  may  learn  some  details  of 
the  beginnings  of  a medical  missionary’s  experience.  A 
new  medical  missionary,  arriving  alone  in  Japan,  wrote  : 
“That  night  alone  in  my  room  at  the  hotel,  as  I lay 
and  listened  to  the  strange  sounds  in  the  street  out- 
side, the  greatest  heartache  came  from  the  shouts, 
songs  and  oaths  of  the  drunken  sailors  who,  to  so 
many  Orientals,  represent  Christian  England  and 
America. 

“I  could  find  very  little  about  my  connections  for 
Korea  except  that  the  regular  Japanese  steamer  had 
left  the  port  eighteen  hours  before  I arrived  and  that 
the  next  would  sail  in  about  a month.  I began  to 
wonder  if  I could  not  find  a Korean  and  begin  on  the 
language.”  Learning  later  that  a Russian  steamer 
would  sail  for  Chemulpo  via  Chefoo  she  decided  to 
take  it,  though  the  accommodations  were  not  pleasant. 
“It  would  take  another  small  volume  to  record  the 
experiences  of  the  next  few  days  on  board  the  Baikal. 
The  captain  and  one  other  Russian  gentleman  were 
the  only  persons  who  could  speak  English.  The  men 
were  all  Russian,  Japanese,  and  Chinese — and  I was 
the  only  woman  on  board.  The  sea  was  very  rough  ; 
the  stateroom  was  downstairs  at  the  stern,  directly 
over  the  propeller,  and  opened  into  the  dining  room, 
which  the  men  used  also  for  smoking.  The  berth  was 
very  narrow,  much  too  short  and  very  hard,  but  in  it 
I stayed  most  of  the  time  from  Saturday  evening  till 
Wednesday  noon  when  we  reached  Chefoo.  The 
26 


Korea 


Chinese  boy  seemed  very  willing  to  wait  on  me  but 
the  only  English  word  he  knew  was  ‘ tea  ’ and  I had 
no  craving  for  that. 

“ At  Chefoo  I very  gladly  went  ashore  and  took  a 
chair  across  the  city  to  see  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Corbett. 

We  were  two  days  crossing  the  sea  again  in 
that  little  steamer  and  at  last  reached  Chemulpo  on 
Friday.  There  I spent  the  night  in  a Chinese  hotel 
and  was  glad  to  find  that  a steam  launch  was  coming 
up  the  river  to  Seoul  the  next  day.  The  little  boat 
was  crowded  with  Japanese  and  Koreans,  but  I had 
one  little  corner  of  a seven  by  nine  cabin  with  several 
Japanese,  and  found  one  who  could  speak  a few  words 
of  English.  Just  at  nightfall  we  reached  Yungsan 
and  there  were  Dr.  Field,  Miss  Shields  and  Miss 
Strong  coming  out  in  a boat  to  meet  me,  and  Dr. 
Whiting  on  shore  with  the  chairs  and  coolies  to  take 
us  up  to  Seoul  (about  five  miles  from  the  river).  I 
had  a cordial  reception.  . . . Dr.  Whiting  is 

living  in  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gifford’s  house  while  they  are 
in  America  and  she  took  me  home  with  her.  The 
house  is  on  elevated  ground  in  the  same  enclosure 
with  the  girls’  school  where  Miss  Doty  and  Dr.  Field 
are,  and  is  almost  in  the  heart  of  the  city.  At  one 
side  of  the  house  from  the  top  of  the  knoll  we  can 
look  out  over  the  city  in  all  directions,  and  beyond  it 
to  the  circle  of  mountains  which  surround  us.  Flow 
thankful  I am  for  those  restful  mountains  ! ” 

Hard  language  study — and  many  other  things  in 
the  way  of  work  began  at  once.  “The  mission  gives 
quarterly  examinations  in  the  language  for  the  first 
27  • 


Opportunities 


two  years.  I was  much  surprised  last  week  at  being 
called  to  Dr.  Underwood’s,  after  being  here  less  than 
six  weeks,  for  my  first  quarterly  examination  because 
he  was  examining  Dr.  Field  and  Miss  Shields  who 
have  finished  three  months.  Of  course  he  expected 
less  of  me.  The  doctor  had  two  Koreans  in  the  room 
and  placing  them  in  front  of  us  said  to  us,  ‘ Now 
talk  ! ’ When  one  can  readily  count  the  words  in 
one’s  vocabulary  that  is  not  an  easy  command  to 
obey;  the  doctor  kindly  helped  us  out.  Just  now  I 
am  writing  from  the  Royal  Korean  Hospital.  The 
Seoul  station  sent  Dr.  Avison  to  Fusan  a week  ago  on 
important  business,  and  gave  to  Dr.  Field  and  me  his 
entire  work  here,  with  Miss  Shields  to  assist  in  the 
nursing.  I came  over  here  to  stay  in  the  house  with 
Mrs.  Avison  and  be  on  hand  all  the  time,  and  Dr. 
Field  comes  once  every  afternoon  for  the  clinic. 
There  are  only  seventeen  in-patients  just  now,  but  it 
requires  so  much  time  to  accomplish  a little  when  one 
does  not  know  the  language,  that  I find  the  time  fully 
taken  up. 

“A  woman  came  to  clinic  with  both  bones  of  her 
forearm  broken  by  her  son  in  a fit  of  anger.  She  would 
not  let  me  touch  the  arm  (the  break  occurred  some- 
time before  and  was  already  knitting  crooked)  but 
came  to  have  me  take  the  evil  spirit  out  of  her  son. 
There  was  a man  in  the  ward  with  severe  gunshot 
wound  of  arm,  the  ball  having  fractured  the  sinews 
and  bone.  I was  interested  in  watching  him  closely. 
His  wife  came  to  ask  if  he  might  go  home  for  a 
Korean  holiday  and  when  I refused  permission  he 
28 


Korea 


went  off  without  it.  I dread  to  think  of  the  condi- 
tion of  that  gaping  wound  by  this  time.  Sometimes 
the  patients  try  to  be  helpful  by  handing  me  a septic 
dressing  with  their  dirty  hands.  One  day  I was 
spreading  some  ointment  on  gauze  on  the  palm  of  my 
hand  when  one  of  the  onlookers,  who  must  have 
thought  me  rather  awkward  at  it,  kindly  brought  me 
the  dust  pan  to  use  under  the  surface. 

“Two  of  the  ‘medicine  boys,’  (there  are  five 
young  Koreans  studying  under  Dr.  Avison)  are  earnest 
Christians  and  conduct  prayers  with  the  patients  each 
morning.  Miss  Shields  and  I go  down  to  the 
woman’s  rooms  when  we  can,  and  sing  to  them  the 
gospel  we  cannot  speak.  We  have  studied  over 
several  of  the  hymns  and  can  sing  some  which  we  can- 
not translate  as  yet.  Each  Sabbath  a service  is  held 
in  the  large  dispensary  room.  Yesterday  one  of  the 
medicine  boys  preached.  It  was,  for  me,  one  of  the 
happiest  moments  since  I came  here,  when  I saw  the 
patients  gathered  there,  and  knew  they  were  hearing 
the  gospel.  During  these  months  when  we  so  long  to 
speak  and  our  lips  seem  sealed,  we  are  constantly 
thankful  that  we  can  intercede  in  prayer, — and  that 
smiles  and  actions  can  be  made  to  mean  so  much.” 

A later  letter  in  The  Occident,  after  telling  of  the 
terrible  poverty  of  the  people,  with  wages  at  fourteen 
cents,  and  only  two  meals  a day,  because  “omitting  a 
meal  is  about  the  only  way  of  getting  a trifle  ahead,” 
says:  “There  is  much  sickness  now  especially 

among  children.  Tonics  are  needed  in  all  the  cases  1 
have  seen,  and  usually  I know  only  too  well  that  the 
29 


Opportunities 


tonic  of  nourishing  food  is  the  real  necessity.  For 
several  days  I have  been  visiting  the  little  three-year-old 
girl  of  the  man  who  carries  our  wood  and  water  down 
at  the  school.  Five  in  the  family  live  in  a room 
not  more  than  twelve  feet  square,  with  a little  outer 
shed  and  a tiny  yard.  The  sick  girl  lay  in  dirty 
ragged  clothes  on  the  heated  floor,  but  was  very 
patient  and  quiet,  and  took  so  eagerly  some  of  the 
diluted  condensed  milk  I had  brought,  that  it  was 
pathetic. 

“ I knew  that  what  I wanted  to  do  for  her  could 
not  be  done  there,  and  how  I did  want  to  lift  her  out 
of  the  dirt  and  bring  her  where  she  could  be  nursed 
well  again.  But  Korean  customs  are  especially  sacred 
where  sickness  is  concerned,  and  the  child  must  on  no 
account  be  moved  from  that  hot  floor, — (Korean 
houses  are  heated  by  means  of  flues  in  the  stone  floors. 
The  fire  used  for  cooking  heats  the  house  and  the 
floors  are  painfully  uncomfortable  for  foreigners, 
roasting  the  side  that  is  down).  Though  its  body  is 
very  dirty,  it  would  surely  die  if  any  water  were  put 
on  it,— and  the  parents  must  be  quite  progressive  if 
they  will  allow  you  to  give  any  foreign  medicine. 
The  father  of  this  little  one  is  a Christian,  and  as  the 
mother  has  been  attending  the  little  church  here,  I 
hoped  she  would  be  willing  to  trust  us  to  do  some- 
thing for  the  child.  She  was  willing  that  I should  go 
for  a while  and  give  a little  medicine,  but  whether 
from  the  influence  of  neighbors  or  not,  something 
caused  a sudden  change  of  feeling  and  I could  do 
nothing  more. 

3° 


Korea 


“ Hot  needles  can  be  run  into  a sick  baby’s  body 
and  a burn  can  be  covered  over  with  irritating  char- 
coal by  a native  doctor,  but  a warm,  soothing,  cleans- 
ing bath  would  to  their  minds  be  courting  death. 
They  share  with  some  of  the  Chinese  the  idea  that 
we  are  differently  constructed  and  therefore  it  does 
not  injure  us  to  bathe. 

“ If  we  believed  that  these  people  had  to  be  civi- 
lized and  change  their  customs  and  ideas  before  they 
could  receive  and  accept  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as 
Saviour,  we  would  feel  as  though  we  were  only  laying 
small  pebbles  in  the  foundation  which  not  for  many 
generations  would  bear  the  weight  of  the  building  of  a 
Christian  temple.  But  it  works  just  the  other  way. 
The  love  of  Jesus  Christ,  entering  first,  displaces  old 
customs  and  prejudices  and  makes  a foundation  for 
new  teaching  in  every  department. 

“ When  I was  at  the  hospital  a woman  was  brought 
in  one  morning  by  her  husband  and  literally  dumped 
on  the  floor  of  one  of  the  rooms.  Before  I could 
reach  them,  the  man  was  gone,  leaving  us  no  trace. 
The  woman  was  certainly  a most  pitiable  creature. 
She  had  a few  ragged  clothes  on  and  was  rolled  in  an 
old  quilt.  She  had  strength  enough  only  to  roll  her 
head  from  side  to  side,  but  I think  it  was  simply  from 
starvation.  We  could  learn  nothing  from  her,  for  her 
mind  was  almost  gone.  She  said  she  had  had  nothing 
to  eat  for  six  months.  It  was  not  my  place  to  take  her 
in  because  it  was  evident  we  could  do  nothing  to  save 
her,  and  the  people  are  so  superstitious  that  for  the 
good  of  the  hospital  it  is  best  to  avoid  as  many  deaths 
3i 


Opportunities 


as  possible,  but  there  was  nothing  else  to  be  done  for 
the  present  except  care  for  her  in  the  hope  that  her 
husband  would  return.  A tiny  room  was  heated  for 
her  and  small  doses  of  stimulants  and  nourishment 
were  begun.  That  afternoon  I remained  with  her  for 
awhile  to  see  if  anything  else  could  be  done.  The 
poor  woman’s  face  was  greatly  deformed,  the  nose  had 
been  entirely  eaten  away  by  disease.  The  upper  lip 
was  drawn  up ; nearly  all  the  teeth  were  gone  and  the 
gums  were  shrunken.  As  I looked  at  her  I could  not 
help  saying,  ‘ Is  it  possible  that  this  is  a human  be- 
ing? ’ 

“ There  are  dark  features  in  the  picture.  But 
there  are  many  bright  ones  too  ! — women  with  shin- 
ing, happy  faces,  rejoicing  in  Christ  Jesus,  no  matter 
what  their  circumstances;  and  men,  fervent  in  prayer 
and  earnest  in  preaching  Christ  to  their  people.” 

Itinerating  forms  a large  part  of  life  in  Korea  for 
some  of  our  workers.  Here  are  some  details,  also  by 
Dr.  Moffett,  who  wrote  the  preceding  account. 
“Everything  we  have  is  wonderful  to  them.  The 
curiosity  of  the  country  people  is  simply  unbounded. 
They  wanted  to  examine  everything  I wore  and  had 
with  me.  I tried  to  draw  the  line  of  investigation  at 
the  tops  of  my  shoes,  but  one  woman  succeeded  in 
getting  above  them  and  exclaimed,  ‘Why,  she  has 
stockings  on  ! ’ Sometimes  we  have  to  defend  our- 
selves by  telling  them  that  it  may  be  Korean  custom 
to  do  that  way  but  it  is  not  at  all  according  to  our 
customs,  and  they  generally  take  the  hint  at  once,  for 
they  know  it  is  very  far  from  their  own  customs  and 
32 


Korea 


that  they  only  do  it  because  they  think  we  do  not 
know  anything  about  rules  of  propriety.” 

Describing  her  language  study  Dr.  Moffett  writes  : 
“The  language  is  like  nothing  else  under  the  sun  that 
I ever  tried  to  master.  As  Mr.  Gifford  says  in  his 
book,  ‘ One  advantage  the  beginner  has,  is  that  he 
doesn’t  know  what  he  is  getting  into.’  It  resembles 
Chinese  very  little.  The  construction  of  sentences  is 
different.  It  is  agglutinative,  which  Chinese  is  not. 
Those  who  have  studied  both  say  that  it  is  more  diffi- 
cult. It  is  not  a tone  language  in  the  sense  that 
Chinese  is.  There  are  words  which  if  differently 
rendered  have  different  meanings,  but  the  dif- 
ference lies  more  frequently  in  stress  than  in 
tone. 

“You  begin  by  saying  the  alphabet  over  and  over 
after  some  Korean,  then  slowly  digging  out  names  of 
things,  then  names  of  actions,  and  gradually  putting 
them  together.  Once  in  a while  you  come  upon  an 
idiom  with  not  an  idea  of  what  it  means  and  with  no 
clue,  the  teacher’s  explanation  consists  in  saying  the 
same  thing  over  indefinitely  with  increasing  emphasis, 
in  the  hope  that  the  tenth  time  of  repetition  may  bring 
a flood  of  light.  There  are  perhaps  two  or  three  teach- 
ers in  the  country — I know  of  two.  The  qualification 
of  the  others  is — they  are  Koreans. 

“You  continue  as  you  began — in  the  dark,  with 
now  and  then  a ray  of  light  to  prevent  utter  discour- 
agement. I should  not  make  the  picture  too  dark, 
for  we  who  are  studying  now  have  very  many  helps 
unknown  to  those  who  went  before,  in  the  way  of 
33 


Opportunities 


books,  assistance  from  other  workers,  and  of  a greater 
familiarity  of  certain  Koreans  with  foreigners. 

“ The  teacher  I have  now  knows  not  an  English  word. 
One  I had  in  Seoul  had  been  in  the  Methodist  school, 
and  had  a desire  to  learn  English.  It  is  considered  a 
great  disadvantage,  but  I expect  the  knowledge  of 
English  will  come  more  and  more  as  the  people  wake 
up  to  the  knowledge  of  the  outside  world.  We  will 
leave  all  the  teaching  of  English  to  others  while  we 
get  all  the  Korean  we  can.  It  is  even  necessary  for 
us  to  lose  some  of  our  own  English,  but  we  are  will- 
ing to  do  so  if  we  can  but  gain  free  access  to  this 
people.  Three  things  I keep  before  me — to  know 
more  and  more  of  the  Bible,  Korean  language,  and 
Korean  people. 

“We  eat  eggs,  chicken,  rice,  millet,  vegetables 
from  our  own  gardens  and  a small  amount  of  poor 
fruit,  which  Korea  provides.  We  have  flour  from 
home  for  bread  and  grains  for  mush.  Aside  from 
these  we  live  largely  from  cans, — canned  meat,  canned 
milk,  canned  butter,  canned  soup,  vegetables,  fruits, 
crackers,  etc.  Last  year,  potatoes,  celery,  corn  and 
strawberries  have  been  raised  up  here. 

“Koreans  cook  our  food.  In  some  houses  a man, 
in  some  a woman.  Of  course  they  have  to  be  trained 
from  the  very  start.  If  one  is  particular  it  is  gener- 
ally better  not  to  be  always  around  during  the  prepa- 
ration. I believe  they  really  mean  to  be  clean. 

“ I think  Pyeng  Yang  does  not  have  as  hot  weather 
as  Seoul ; I do  not  think  we  had  a temperature  above 
° here,  but  the  extreme  moisture  makes  the  heat 
34 


ioo 


Korea 


harder  to  bear.  The  missionaries  are  nearly  always 
obliged  to  leave  Seoul  for  a time  during  the  heat,  but 
one  of  our  blessings  in  Pyeng  Yang  is  that  it  is  quite 
possible  for  us  to  remain  here  through  the  summer 
without  endangering  our  health.  The  work  seems 
slow  at  the  start,  but  the  language  must  be  mastered 
if  good  work  is  to  be  done  in  the  hospital  or  dispen- 
sary or  in  itinerating.” 

This  last  point  is  well  shown  by  Dr.  Moffett  in  her 
studies  with  her  Seoul  teacher,  Chang  Sa  Pang.  “ He 
has  been  well  educated  in  Chinese  and  also  in  the 
native  Unmun,  and  studied  for  two  years  in  the 
Methodist  Boys’  School.  He  knows  the  Bible  teach- 
ings and  narratives  quite  well,  and  understands  the 
message  of  Christianity ; but  the  gospel  has  not 
touched  his  heart.  When  I first  began  to  study  with 
him,  it  made  me  feel  very  strange  to  have  a Korean 
explaining  Bible  passages  and  truths  to  me.  I wanted 
the  grammar  of  the  sentence,  but  let  him  go  on  to  see 
what  he  would  say.  He  assents  readily  whenever  I 
try  to  press  home  the  personal  question,  but  I think 
his  belief  is  only  intellectual.  He  has  given  me  some 
beautiful  thoughts  in  our  study  of  the  gospels.  One 
day  I was  reading  the  story  of  Christ’s  birth,  when  he 
asked  me  why  it  was  that  Jesus  was  born  in  a stable 
and  laid  in  a manger.  I tried  to  say  that  he  might 
touch  and  save  the  lowest  and  poorest,  etc.  But  my 
teacher  said  that  to  him  it  was  because  he  was  the 
Lamb  of  God  and  was  at  last  to  be  a sacrifice  that  he 
began  his  life  on  earth  in  the  place  where  a little 
lamb  would  live.  In  John  1:12  the  word  for  ‘re- 
35 


Opportunities 


ceived  ’ in  the  Korean  is  that  used  when  a guest  is 
received  into  a Korean  household  with  all  the  hospital- 
ity thg  house  affords,  and  anything  belonging  to  the 
host  is  at  his  disposal.  In  John  14  : 16  the  three 
characters  for  the  ‘ Comforter  ’ convey  the  idea  of  a 
heavenly  Teacher  sent  in  grace  to  protect  and 
strengthen.  The  Korean  text  says  ‘ That  he  may  be 
with  you  for  a lifetime.’  I wanted  to  substitute 
‘ forever  ’ as  it  is  in  our  text,  but  my  teacher  said, 
1 That  would  not  do  ; after  we  die  the  Holy  Spirit  will 
be  with  us  but  we  will  not  need  a Comforter.’  Pray 
for  him.  He  seems  to  have  no  desire  to  be  baptized 
or  enter  the  Church.” 

Rev.  Arthur  J.  Brown,  D.  D.  in  his  recent  visit  to 
Korea  saw  the  value  of  training  native  workers,  when 
at  Chang  Yun.  Dr.  Avison  reports  it  in  the 
Korea  Field : — 

“Our  visit  to  the  magistracy  of  Chang  Yun  was 
interesting  in  one  respect  at  least.  We  arrived  there 
late  in  the  evening  and  I was  immediately  called  upon 
to  see  some  sick  folk.  It  is  here  that  my  former  stu- 
dent, Hyo  Kwon-i,  has  lived  since  he  left  the  hospital, 
and,  knowing  that  I was  coming,  he  had  a number  of 
cases  ready  that  he  had  been  unable  to  handle.  The 
first  one  was  a boy  with  a dislocated  elbow  of  several 
months’  standing,  which  held  his  arm  out  stiff,  pre- 
venting it  from  being  bent  at  the  elbow.  As  the  cart 
with  our  food,  etc.,  had  not  yet  arrived,  we  proceeded 
at  once  to  etherize  the  boy  and  soon  had  the  elbow 
again  in  its  normal  position.  As  our  cart  had  not 
even  yet  put  in  an  appearance,  even  though  it  was 
36 


Korea 


nine  o’clock,  we  took  all  the  Christians  with  us  to  the 
church,  which  is  situated  outside  the  wall  of  the  town, 
and  held  a service  of  about  an  hour’s  duration,  at 
which  Dr.  Brown  delivered  a fine  address  of  greeting, 
exhortation,  and  advice,  which  I felt  sorry  to  spoil  to  a 
considerable  extent  by  rendering  into  very  indifferent 
Korean.  Returning  to  our  host’s  home,  we  found  our 
supper  in  course  of  preparation,  and  had  the  pleas- 
ure of  eating  it  between  ten  and  eleven  o’clock.  A 
poor  man  nearly  blind  and  suffering  from  a bad  ulcer 
of  the  foot  due  to  decay  of  the  bone  was  pressing  us 
hard  for  relief,  and  finally  I said  that  if  Hyo  Kwon-i 
would  undertake  to  care  for  him  afterwards,  I would 
operate  on  him  in  the  morning  at  five  o’clock,  before 
breakfast.  That  gave  us  a short  night’s  rest  after  a 
long  day’s  work,  but  that  has  to  be  sometimes,  and 
the  next  morning,  assisted  by  Dr.  Brown,  who  could 
not  be  prevailed  upon  to  miss  seeing  surgical  work 
done  under  such  peculiar  conditions,  we  etherized  the 
patient  on  the  floor  of  the  room  in  which  we  had 
slept,  and  scraped  away  all  the  diseased  bone,  so  as 
to  give  his  ulcer  at  least  a new  start.  The  chief  point 
of  practical  importance  in  this  incident  is  that  we 
could  not  have  undertaken  to  perform  either  of  these 
operations  had  not  a person  trained  in  the  after  care 
of  such  cases  been  on  hand  to  follow  the  work  up ; 
and  we  saw  a practical  illustration  of  the  advantages 
which  will  follow  the  proper  training  of  young  men 
as  doctors  and  the  scattering  of  them  throughout  the 
country.” 


37 


Medical  Missionary  Summary 


Methodist  Episcopal  Missionary  Society,  ATorth. 

Pyeng  Yang  *H.  2 D.f  Wonsan  D. 

Seoul  H.  U. 

Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  North. 


Seoul,  Royal  Korean, 

Funsan,  Junkin  Mem. 
Pyeng  Yang 

Taiku 


H.  2 D.  Founded  1884 
O.  R.  Avison,  M.  D. 

C.  C.  Vinton,  M.  D. 

Mrs.  H.  G.  Underwood,  M.  D. 
Eva  H.  Field,  M.  D. 

H.  D.  1893 

C.  H.  Irvin,  M.  D. 

H.  D.  1896 

Mrs.  S.  A.  Moffett,  M.  D. 

J.  H.  Wells,  M.  D. 

A.  M.  Sharrocks,  M.  D. 

D.  1899 

W.  O.  Johnson,  M.  D. 


Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel,  English. 
Chemulpo  H.  D.  Seoul  2 H.  3 D. 

* H means  Hospital.  t D means  Dispensary. 


38 


CHINESE  GOD  OF  MEDICINE. 
FROM  “ REVIEW  OF  MISSIONS.” 


CHAPTER  III 


CHINA 

China,  the  vastest  nation  in  the  world,  has  the 
largest  number  of  medical  missionaries,  the  most  mis- 
sionary hospitals  and  dispensaries.  There  are  now 
128  hospitals  and  245  dispensaries,  which  in  1901 
treated  1,674,571  patients.  A portion  of  the  fifty- 
three  missionary  societies  of  Europe  and  America  have 
charge  of  these  under  about  150  foreign  physicians. 
“But  what  are  these  among  so  many?”  For  each 
doctor  are  allotted  4,000,000  patients.  This  is  for 
400,000,000,  one-quarter  of  the  world’s  population, 
whose  death  rate  is  33,000  daily.  “A  million  a 
month  in  China  are  dying  without  God.”  In  1895 
the  men  doctors  were  fourteen  per  cent  of  all  the  mis- 
sionaries, and  the  women  doctors  were  four  per  cent. 

Dr.  Malcolm,  of  Honan,  says : “A  slight  idea  of 
the  need  may  be  obtained  if  you  can  imagine  our  hos- 
pitals, our  penitentiaries,  our  almshouses,  insane 
asylums,  institutions  for  the  blind  and  deaf  and  dumb, 
and,  indeed,  all  our  charitable  institutions,  turned  out 
upon  us  without  nurses  and  without  any  knowledge  of 
modern  science,  modern  surgery,  or  modern  medi- 
cine. Of  doctors,  they  have  none  worthy  the  name. 
Of  quacks,  they  have  thousands.  They  have  medi- 
cines of  the  cheapest  kind  and  treatment  of  the  cheap- 
39 


Opportunities 


est  kind.  The  word  ‘ medicine  man  ’ is  a synonym 
of  all  that  is  deceitful  and  unscrupulous,  for  playing 
upon  the  credulity  of  those  credulous  people,  the 
Chinese.” 

Their  own  doctors  hurry  them  into  eternity  with 
their  barbarous  practices.  They  pour  down  the  pa- 
tient’s throat  huge  quantities  of  horrible  stuff ; de- 
coctions of  herbs  mixed  with  certain  vile  substances. 
A missionary  while  itinerating  gave  a patient  quinine 
and  salts,  then  found  he  had  already  bought  a fresh 
lot  of  Chinese  medicine  in  two  large  packages  for 
fifteen  cents.  They  were  the  bark,  leaves  and  flowers 
of  certain  Chinese  plants.  Although  he  believed  the 
doctor’s  medicine  was  best,  he  took  the  Chinese  mix- 
ture first,  to  get  the  worth  of  his  money. 

The  Chinese  are  slaves  to  medicine.  Their  materia 
medica  is  perhaps  the  most  vicious  on  the  face  of  the 
earth,  and  inexpressibly  disgusting.  “Their  rule  is 
to  change  doctors  two  or  three  times  a day  if  they  can 
afford  it,”  so  says  Dr.  Coltman  of  Peking. 

‘ ‘ In  the  south  every  two  or  three  days  a doctor  is  apt 
to  be  changed  if  the  patient  shows  no  signs  of  im- 
proving, or  oftener  if  he  grows  worse,  so  prognosis 
has  much  to  do  in  gaining  the  confidence  of  the  peo- 
ple. To  be  able  to  tell  a patient  that  he  can  be  cured 
in  a certain  number  of  days  leaves  the  impression  that 
you  are  thoroughly  conversant  with  diagnosis  and  treat- 
ment,” writes  Dr.  Machle. 

One  medicine  more  highly  esteemed  than  even 
ginseng  is  an  insect  and  plant  combined,  a fungus  that 
grows  out  of  a species  of  caterpillar.  When  cold 
40 


China 


weather  approaches,  the  larva  of  a certain  moth  makes 
its  way  two  or  three  inches  below  the  soil.  There  the 
fungus  attacks  it  and  it  regularly  sprouts,  sending  up 
a long  shoot  like  any  mushroom.  The  natives  of 
Tibet,  Hupeh,  and  Szechwan,  hunt  these  fungi  in  the 
neighborhood  of  a certain  myrtle-tree.  They  dig 
them  up  and  tie  them  in  little  bundles  with  red  thread. 
They  look  like  diminutive  bulrushes,  the  root  being 
the  mummy  of  a caterpillar.  This  is  esteemed  a 
powerful  medicine  for  diseases  of  the  throat  and 
lungs. 

Boiled  spiders  furnish  another  remedy,  scorpion  eggs 
another.  Centipedes,  horned  toads,  vegetable,  ani- 
mal, mineral  ingredients,  as  many  as  possible  go  into 
one  prescription.  The  more  ingredients  the  more  dis- 
eases may  be  cured  by  it. 

Their  own  doctors  know  nothing  of  surgery  or 
anatomy.  The  very  thought  of  dissection  is  abhor- 
rent. A celebrated  work  by  Heng  Iok  Hua,  “The 
Rhythm  of  the  Pulse,”  gives  this  valuable  informa- 
tion : “ There  are  three  pulses  in  each  wrist.  A man’s 
strongest  pulse  is  in  his  left  wrist,  a woman’s  in  her 
right.  In  a man  the  pulse  that  lies  nearest  the  hand 
is  stronger  than  those  that  lie  above;  in  a woman 
just  the  opposite  is  true;  and  it  is  considered  a real 
misfortune  if  the  pulse  of  either  sex  is  found  to  be 
beating  according  to  the  rules  of  that  of  the  other 
sex.  In  the  left  hand  are  located  the  pulses  showing 
the  diseases  of  the  heart,  the  liver,  the  kidneys,  while 
the  right-hand  pulses  show  the  diseases  of  the  lungs, 
spleen  and  other  organs.”  Where  a sign  reads  “ He 
41 


Opportunities 


feels  the  small  and  large  pulse,”  it  indicates  a doctor 
for  children  and  grown  people. 

If  a doctor  can  advertise  that  his  ancestors  have 
been  in  the  medical  profession  for  several  generations, 
he  can  claim  to  possess  all  their  skill.  The  experience 
of  the  Chinese  in  the  use  of  herbs,  as  teas  and  poul- 
tices, for  so  many  centuries,  has  necessarily  proved  of 
some  value.  ‘ ‘ I have  seen  the  whole  front  of  a doc- 
tor’s house  covered  with  poultices  which  had  been 
used  and  proved  effective,”  Mrs.  L.  S.  Bainbridge 
tells  us.  “ Black  tar-like  salve  on  blue  cloth  is  a cure 
for  all  abrasions,  excoriations,  ulcers  of  the  skin  and 
even  rheumatism.  The  front  of  drug-stores  and  doc- 
tors’ houses  are  often  covered  with  them.  Each  plas- 
ter indicates  that  the  patient  who  used  it  had  been 
cured  by  it,”  adds  Dr.  Machle. 

The  brain  is  put  in  the  stomach ; the  seat  of  courage 
is  in  the  liver;  the  bladder  communicates  directly 
with  the  mouth  by  a tube  into  which  all  liquids  find 
their  way ; while  a hole  in  the  heart  has  mysterious 
relations  with  the  stomach.  To  this  latter  orifice  is 
ascribed  much  of  the  pain  consequent  upon  indiges- 
tion, which  is  exceedingly  common  in  consequence  of 
the  universal  habit  of  rapid  eating.  The  most  frequent 
diseases  are  those  relating  to  the  digestive  organs ; the 
“heart’s  mouth”  is  a favorite  locality  with  the  Chi- 
nese as  a seat  of  disease. 

Acupuncture  or  needling  is  a common  form  of  treat- 
ment. A native  doctor  for  a few  strings  of  cash  un- 
dertakes to  restore  the  sight,  that  is,  to  “dispel  the 
clouds.”  So  with  his  needle  he  stirs  up  the  eye  and 

42 


China 


it  is  ruined.  The  drums  of  ears  are  thus  destroyed, 
and  frightful  inflammations  result  from  such  piercings 
all  over  the  body. 

Half  a millstone — sixty  pounds  of  stone — was 
eaten  by  one  man  on  the  doctor’s  advice.  He  ground 
it  in  a mortar,  took  a half  cupful  each  morning,  and 
was  no  better.  He  also  ate  forty  pounds  of  cinnamon 
bark,  on  the  advice  of  some  one  else.  For  inflamma- 
tion of  the  eyelids,  a.  patient  took  pigeon’s  dung,  for 
two  months,  as  advised  by  his  native  doctor. 

The  Hunanese  have  an  operation  for  the  cure  of  en- 
tropion of  the  upper  lip  which  soon  recurs,  however, 
when  successful,  and  there  is  a great  liability  to  ery- 
sipelas, extended  malformation  and  ulceration.  In- 
flamed limbs  have  red  string  tied  on  them  above  and 
below  the  area  of  inflammation  to  prevent  the  evil 
spirits  producing  this  distemper  from  extending  the 
disease  by  gaining  access  to  other  parts  of  the  human 
economy.  Red  is  used  because  this  color  has  the 
charming  power  of  restoring  healthy  action  and  thus 
thwarting  the  intentions  of  the  evil  spirits.  Near 
Peking,  the  treatment  for  a broken  leg  was  piling 
bricks  on  it  for  six  months  to  keep  the  swelling  down. 

Smallpox  is  the  most  common  disease  and  nearly 
every  one  has  it  at  some  time  in  his  life  ; which  is  no 
wonder,  as  the  patients  are  allowed  to  roam  at  will, 
and  any  one  can  have  free  access  to  them.  Vaccina- 
tion, though  practiced,  is  very  carelessly  performed, 
and  is  never  used  for  girls.  Dr.  Machle  says  that  “ in 
the  interior  where  we  reside,  inoculation  of  smallpox 
virus  is  still  extensively  practiced.  A pledget  of  cot- 
43 


Opportunities 


ton  is  dipped  into  the  diluted  virus  and  placed  far  up 
the.  nostril.  The  patient  has  an  attack  of  smallpox, 
which  is  sometimes  so  severe  that  he  dies.”  Measles, 
though  common,  is  a milder  disease  than  with  us. 
Scarlet-fever  is  less  common,  and  erysipelas  is  rare. 
Typhus-fever  is  common  all  over  North  China  and  as 
far  south  as  Shanghai.  With  it  is  constantly  associated 
relapsing  fever.  Every  few  years  cholera  appears  as 
an  epidemic,  and  is  very  fatal.  Diphtheria  is  severe, 
except  in  the  south,  where  it  is  seldom  seen.  Occa- 
sionally whooping-cough  is  found.  In  some  parts 
rheumatic  fever  is  prevalent.  Chronic  muscular  rheu- 
matism is  common  all  over  China,  unattended  by 
fever.  Malarial  fever  is  to  be  found  everywhere, 
though  the  type  varies ; thus  tertian  is  most  common 
in  Peking,  quartan  in  Foochow,  Swatow,  Shanghai, 
and  Hangchow,  and  remittent  in  Chefoo  and  Tientsin. 
Goitres  of  immense  size  predominate  in  some  regions, 
such  as  mountainous  parts  of  Kwantung.  From  lep- 
rosy, smallpox,  and  neglected  ophthalmia ; from  the 
smoky  houses,  and  from  the  general  dirt,  blindness  is 
produced  in  hundreds  of  thousands.  Beri-beri  or 
multiple  neuritis  is  prevalent  in  Southern  China  among 
those  who  have  come  from  northern  provinces. 

“The  Chinese  are  in  bondage  to  luck,  superstition 
and  charms.”  A piece  of  red  cloth  tied  on  a man, 
means  that  he  has  a carbuncle  or  a chronic  disease. 
This  is  to  keep  away  evil  spirits,  and  it  is  also  sup- 
posed to  cure.  A doctor  can  be  consulted  only  on  a 
lucky  day.  One  man,  carried  to  a medical  missionary 
on  a bed  a great  many  miles,  was  not  allowed  by 
44 


China 


the  neighbors  and  street  people  to  enter  the  dispensary 
because  he  had  arrived  on  an  unlucky  day ; and  al- 
though they  were  told  he  would  probably  die  before 
the  day  passed,  he  was  carried  away.  No  protests 
availed  in  the  least. 

“Horror-struck  at  the  sight  of  some  poor  creatures 
with  a foot  or  a hand  eaten  off  by  disease,  we  would 
turn  away,  and  our  eyes  would  fall  on  some  monstrous 
deformity  or  heart-rending  sufferer.  I had  never 
even  imagined  such  a loathsome  spectacle  as  that  of 
the  beggars.”  Thus  wrote  Mrs.  Nevius  at  the  time 
of  her  Hangchow  sojourn. 

Dr.  H.  T.  Whitney,  of  Foochow,  A.  B.  C.  F.  M., 
says  in  The  Medical  Arm  of  the  Mission  Service : 
“Edward  Jenner,  an  Englishman,  discovered  vacci- 
nation in  1797,  and  made  it  known  in  1798;  and  in 
the  short  period  of  seven  years  afterwards,  Dr.  Alex- 
ander Pearson,  surgeon  to  the  East  India  Company, 
introduced  it  into  China.  The  same  year  he  wrote  a 
treatise  on  the  Theory  and  Art  of  Vaccination,  which 
was  translated  into  Chinese  by  Sir  George  Staunton 
and  published  in  Canton.  He  labored  with  untiring 
zeal  for  twenty-seven  years,  when  the  practice  became 
thoroughly  established  in  the  Kwantung  Province. 
Dr.  Pearson’s  principal  assistant,  Mr.  Yao,  became 
the  leading  Chinese  disseminator  of  vaccination  in 
China.  At  one  time  he  went  by  invitation,  without 
expense,  to  Peking  to  introduce  it  there.  Twelve 
years  after  Dr.  Pearson’s  first  treatise  was  published 
Mr.  Yao  also  prepared  a treatise  of  one  hundred  pages, 
to  which  were  appended  three  odes  in  praise  of  vacci- 
45 


Opportunities 


nation ; one  by  a governor-general.  In  thirty  years 
Mr.  Yao  alone  vaccinated  over  a million  patients. 

“By  the  combined  efforts  of  Dr.  Pearson  and  his 
assistants  the  art  was  extended  to  all  the  leading 
provinces  of  the  empire.  The  blessing  to  China  of 
this  discovery  it  would  be  difficult  to  overestimate, 
and  the  name  of  Dr.  Alexander  Pearson  will  go  down 
in  history  as  the  first  great  benefactor  of  China  in  the 
nineteenth  century.  Of  him  should  it  be  said,  rather 
than  of  any  one  else,  that  he  ‘ opened  China  to  the 
gospel  at  the  point  of  the  lancet.’ 

“To  Dr.  T.  R.  Colledge,  another  physician  to  the 
East  India  Company,  belongs  the  merit  of  establish- 
ing, first  at  private  expense,  and  later  by  voluntary 
contributions,  the  first  institution  in  China  for  the 
relief  of  indigent  natives  from  1827  to  1832.  This 
work  made  a marked  impression  upon  the  Chinese. 
‘ The  institution  became  the  topic  of  conversation 
throughout  the  provinces,  and  praise  and  gratitude  were 
heaped  upon  him  by  the  beneficiaries  and  their  friends.’ 
“He  urged  upon  the  various  missionary  societies 
the  desirableness  of  employing  medical  missionaries  as 
pioneers  in  their  Christian  work ; and  several  papers 
which  he  wrote  for  this  purpose,  had  considerable  in- 
fluence in  directing  attention  to  the  subject. 

“ While  the  humane  labors  of  these  physicians  were 
not  performed  in  the  capacity  of  medical  missionaries, 
yet  they  were  of  the  same  nature  and  equally  valu- 
able ; and  they  beautifully  illustrate  the  humane 
aspect  of  medical  missionary  work. 

“We  now  come  to  the  first  medical  missionary 
46 


China 


work  proper  done  under  a missionary  board.  The 
name  of  Dr.  Peter  Parker,  as  the  first  medical  mis- 
sionary to  China,  is  well  known  in  both  eastern  and 
western  hemispheres  and  in  three  continents. 

“Beginning  his  work  under  the  American  Board  in 
1835  in  Canton,  he  soon  started  lines  of  influence  that 
resulted  in  physical  blessing  to  at  least  53,000  patients 
by  his  own  hands,  and  it  is  probably  safe  to  say  mil- 
lions more  by  the  hands  of  others.  For  it  was 
through  his  influence,  in  connection  with  Drs.  Col- 
ledge  and  Bridgman,  that  the  Medical  Missionary 
Society  of  China  was  organized  (February  21,  1838) 
which  has  already  resulted  in  the  treatment  of  more 
than  a million  patients ; and  as  the  treatment  of  one 
patient  often  means  a blessing  to  one  or  two  others  and 
sometimes  to  a whole  family,  it  is  more  than  probable 
that  the  million  patients  treated  do  not  represent  more 
than  half  of  those  who  have  been  blessed.  But  in 
addition  to  this,  Dr.  Parker  was  the  means  of  bring- 
ing into  existence  the  Edinburgh  Medical  Missionary 
Society  (in  1841),  whose  influence  in  Great  Britain, 
India,  China,  Japan,  Turkey,  Persia,  Africa,  etc.,  has 
ever  been  widening,  till  now  no  adequate  estimate  can 
be  made  either  of  the  number  treated  or  of  the  extent 
of  its  blessing.” 

The  London  Missionary  Society  in  1839  sent  out  to 
Macao  Dr.  William  Lockhart  who  “ shed  a wide  in- 
fluence for  good  all  up  and  down  the  China  coast 
from  Macao  to  Peking”;  and  also  Dr.  Benjamin 
Hobson  who  worked  in  Macao,  Canton,  Hongkong, 
and  Shanghai. 


47 


Opportunities 


Dr.  Peter  Parker  was  born  at  Framingham,  Mass., 
in  1804.  He  received  his  degree  in  1834,  was  ap- 
pointed medical  missionary  to  China  by  the  American 
Board,  was  ordained  in  May,  and  sailed  in  June  for 
Canton.  In  1835  a free  hospital  was  opened  which 
helped  greatly  to  disarm  prejudice  and  spread  the 
gospel.  In  1838  he  had  four  students,  one  of  whom 
became  an  expert  operator.  They  were  supported  by 
the  Canton  Medical  Missionary  Society,  just  started, 
the  pioneer  in  modern  missions.  “His  labors  in  ten 
years  were  abundant,  notwithstanding  many  obstacles. 
Beginning  with  a solitary  patient,  he  treated  53,000. 
In  1840  wars  in  China  compelled  Dr.  Parker  to 
retreat,  for  a time,  to  America.  He  spent  the  time 
of  sojourn  in  telling  of  the  medical  work  in  China  in 
cities  of  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain.  As  one 
result  of  these  labors  some  medical  missionary  societies 
were  organized.”  In  1841,  while  he  was  in  Edin- 
burgh, a guest  of  Dr.  Abercrombie,  the  Edinburgh 
Medical  Missionary  Society  was  organized,  which  has 
extended  its  work  “beyond  Scotland  to  Nazareth, 
Damascus,  Madras,  Niigata,  Japan;  besides  helping 
medical  missionaries  in  India,  China,  Africa,  Turkey, 
Syria,  Egypt,  Italy,  France,  and  in  other  lands  and 
islands  of  the  sea.” 

He  afterwards  became  United  States  Minister,  re- 
tired to  Washington,  and  ended  his  days  there  in 
1888,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three.  “His  fame,  how- 
ever, rests  on  his  work  as  a pioneer  of  medical  mis- 
sions.” 

Dr.  Peter  Parker  said  : “I  have  no  hesitation  in 
48 


China 


expressing  it  as  my  solemn  conviction,  that  as  yet  no 
medium  of  bringing  the  people  under  the  sound  of  the 
gospel  and  within  the  influence  of  other  means  of 
grace  can  compare  with  the  facilities  afforded  by 
medical  missionary  operations.” 

His  hospital  continues,  being  till  1899  under  the 
care  of  J.  G.  Kerr,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.  It  is  supported 
by  the  Medical  Missionary  Society.  It  is  a “local 
philanthropic  organization  in  Canton,  which  owns  the 
hospital  property  and  provides  the  funds  for  its  work, 
except  the  support  of  the  physicians  in  charge.  The 
evangelistic  work,  connected  with  the  hospital,  is  con- 
ducted by  the  American  Presbyterian  Mission,  which 
Board  for  the  past  forty-eight  years  has  supplied  the 
physicians  in  charge.”  The  largest  hospital  work  in 
China,  and  that  which  has  produced  the  largest  num- 
ber of  converts,  is  at  Swatow,  (English  Presbyterian). 
This  Canton  hospital  comes  first  in  importance,  be- 
cause, as  a writer  has  said,  “ The  hospital  had  for  its 
aim,  first,  the  alleviation  of  human  suffering,  and, 
second,  the  extension  of  Christianity.  So  far  as  we 
know  it  is  the  first  institution  which  combined  these 
two  objects ; and  we  claim  that  it  was  the  originator 
of  modern  medical  missions.  Other  missionary  socie- 
ties had  sent  out  a few  medical  missionaries  previous 
to  this.  But  no  permanent  medical  mission  work  was 
established  in  any  foreign  field  until  after  the  success- 
ful working  of  this  hospital  had  become  known.”  It 
has  300  beds. 

Dr.  Kerr  was  one  of  the  first  surgeons  in  the  world. 
A staff  of  native  doctors  and  surgeons,  whom  he  had 
49 


Opportunities 


trained,  assisted  him.  More  than  twenty-six  thousand 
patients  were  treated  in  1898,  and  over  a thousand 
operations  performed.  The  numerous  professional 
calls  demanded  by  the  higher  classes  showed  that 
western  medicine  and  surgery  had  become  more 
popular. 

Dr.  Whitney  says  of  him:  “The  humane  value 
alone  of  Dr.  J.  G.  Kerr’s  work  in  Canton  from  1835 
to  the  present  (1893)  in  connection  with  the  Presby- 
terian Mission  has  nowhere  ever  been  equaled,  with 
the  possible  exception  of  Dr.  Parker’s  indirect  in- 
fluence in  helping  to  start  the  Medical  Missionary 
Society  of  Canton  and  the  Edinburgh  Medical  Mis- 
sionary Society. 

“ By  himself  and  under  his  supervision  some 
700,000  patients  have  been  treated,  and  about  48,000 
operations  performed.  Among  these  operations  some 
1,300  were  for  calculi ; the  value  of  which  needs  only 
to  be  known  in  order  to  be  appreciated. 

“ But  in  addition  to  this  nearly  all  the  text-books, 
except  the  anatomy,  that  have  been  used  in  teaching 
medical  students  were  prepared  through  his  unceasing 
energy  and  perseverance.”  The  jubilee  year  of  the 
hospital  saw  him  overwhelmed  with  tokens  of  regard. 

Dr.  Kerr  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1828.  He  was  ap- 
pointed to  China  in  1853,  where  he  remained  until 
1876  when  he  came  home  to  educate  his  children. 
During  his  two  years’  stay  in  the  United  States  he 
worked  among  the  Chinese  in  California.  His  service 
in  China  was  over  forty-four  years.  Some  200 
medical  students  studied  under  his  care,  most  of  whom 
5° 


China 


completed  their  course,  and  received  certificates.  In 
the  Franco-Chinese  war  the  Chinese  Government  em- 
ployed many  of  his  former  pupils.  For  years  he  was 
president  of  the  Medical  Missionary  Society  of 
Canton,  and  in  1887  was  unanimously  elected  first 
president  of  the  Medical  Missionary  Association  in 
China.  So  great  was  his  fame  that  a few  years  ago  a 
distinguished  foreign  Minister  to  the  Court  at  Peking 
sent  for  him,  and  was  cured  after  a difficult  operation. 
Dr.  Kerr  died  August  10,  1901,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three. 

Dr.  Kerr  published  about  thirty-two  books  on 
surgery  and  medicine.  His  last  great  work  before 
his  death  was  privately  to  collect  funds  for  a Refuge 
for  the  Insane,  the  first  one  in  China.  In  The  China 
Medical  Missionary  Journal,  for  December,  1898, 
Dr.  Kerr  wrote : 

“It  is  a well-known  but  lamentable  fact  that 
throughout  the  Chinese  empire,  during  its  history  of 
thousands  of  years,  and  with  its  vast  population,  there 
never  has  been  any  provision  for  the  insane,  except 
such  as  could  be  made  in  families  or  in  prisons. 
Among  the  better  classes,  confinement  in  a strong 
room,  and  often  in  chains,  was  all  that  could  be  had. 
A short  method  of  getting  rid  of  the  hopelessly  incur- 
able has  no  doubt  often  been  adopted  in  a country 
where  the  father  holds  the  power  of  life  and  death 
over  his  family,  and  death  has  been  hastened  among 
the  poorer  classes  by  the  want  of  care  and  ill  treat- 
ment. 

“During  the  many  years  I have  had  charge  of  the 
5' 


Opportunities 


Medical  Missionary  Society’s  hospital,  I have  often 
been  impressed  with  the  importance  of  introducing  into 
China  the  institutions  for  the  relief  of  this  most  help- 
less and  dependent  class  of  our  fellow-men,  which  are 
the  glory  of  western  lands.  In  1887  the  Medical  Mis- 
sionary Society  passed  a resolution  to  commemorate 
its  semi-centennial  anniversary  by  inaugurating  an 
asylum  for  insane  Chinese;  but  in  1889  the  society 
withdrew  from  this  and  recommended  that  the  scheme 
be  taken  up  by  a separate  society.  A provisional 
committee  was  formed,  but  owing  to  various  causes 
only  a small  amount  of  money  was  secured  and  the 
object  was  left  in  abeyance  for  a time. 

“ Before  going  to  the  United  States  in  1891,  I had 
secured  about  three  acres  of  ground  in  a good  location 
in  the  vicinity  of  Canton ; and  with  a view  to  con- 
ciliating the  good  will  of  the  neighboring  shopmen,  a 
dispensary  was  started  in  a building  on  the  ground, 
which  was  conducted,  during  my  absence,  by  Dr. 
Wan  Tun-Mo,  a member  of  the  Provisional  Com- 
mittee. Having  failed  to  secure  the  necessary  funds, 
this  committee  was  dissolved  ; and  the  small  amounts 
of  funds  in  hand  turned  over  to  me.  In  1894  a sum 
of  money  was  intrusted  to  me  by  a medical  mission- 
ary not  resident  in  China,  to  be  used  for  medical 
charity  to  the  Cantonese.  With  his  consent  this  was 
used  for  the  erection  of  a building  on  the  ground  I 
had  purchased.  A beginning  was  thus  made,  and 
with  the  funds  from  the  Provisional  Committee  and 
from  other  sources,  I was  able  to  erect  a second  build- 
ing. In  the  meantime,  the  ground  occupied  by  these 

52 


BLIND  BIBLE-READER  TEACHING  PATIENT.  SHE  WAS  EDUCATED  AT 
DR.  MARY  NILES’S  SCHOOL  FOR  THE  BLIND,  CANTON. 

“ WOMAN’S  WORK  FOR  WOMAN.” 


THE  ONLY  REFUGE  FOR  THE  INSANE  IN  CHINA. 


China 


buildings  and  the  space  in  front  of  them  had  been 
filled  in,  providing  a lawn  for  exercise  and  recreation. 
A part  of  the  inclosing  wall  also  had  been  put  up. 
There  are  twenty-four  rooms  in  the  two  buildings,  and 
these  will  accommodate  thirty  or  forty  patients.  The 
design  is  to  begin  with  a small  number  until  attend- 
ants can  be  trained  to  take  care  of  them.  With  kind 
and  careful  attention,  comfortable  surroundings,  good 
food  and  outdoor  exercise,  the  change  from  the 
treatment  and  influences  of  heathen  relatives  will  have 
a beneficial  effect,  and  will  be  sufficient  in  some  cases 
to  effect  a cure. 

“The  amount  of  space  at  our  command  affords 
room  for  several  more  buildings,  together  with  a lawn 
and  shaded  walks  for  recreation  and  exercise.  As 
the  benefits  of  the  institution  and  the  necessity  for 
it  is  understood  by  benevolent  men  and  women  in 
Christian  lands,  we  have  faith  to  believe  that  funds 
will  be  forthcoming  to  build  a model  institution,  and 
that  others  of  its  kind  will  multiply  until  this  form  of 
benevolence  will  permeate  this  vast  empire.  At  the 
lowest  percentage  of  insane  to  the  population  in 
western  lands,  300  asylums  with  a capacity  for  1,000 
patients  each  are  required  for  China.” 

The  Canton  hospital  dispensary  and  college,  where 
the  medical  department  raises  up  educated  physicians, 
attracts  widespread  and  well-deserved  attention.  Dr. 
J.  M.  Swan  is  now  on  duty  here.  Wonderful  is  the 
work,  unceasing  are  the  claims  by  day  and  by  night. 
Dr.  Mary  W.  Niles  and  Dr.  Mary  H.  Fulton  are  at  the 
Woman’s  Hospital.  Dr.  Fulton  has  translated  several 
S3 


Opportunities 


medical  books.  She  is  sent  for,  far  and  wide.  We 
do  not  begin  to  appreciate  the  need  for  women 
medical  missionaries  and  the  miracles  which  Christ’s 
power  enables  them  to  perform  among  the  disregarded, 
downtrodden,  enslaved  women  of  the  Orient. 

Native  helpers  often  say,  after  seeing  the  many 
helped  in  hospital  work:  “The  deaf  hear,  the  lame 
walk,  the  blind  see.” 

What  this  Christian  love  may  mean  to  them,  is 
well  shown  by  the  story,  oft  repeated,  of  a very  ill 
girl  at  this  hospital.  “ Doctor,  how  long  can  I live 
if  I stay  in  the  hospital?”  she  asked.  “Four 
months,”  was  the  reply.  “ How  long  if  I go  home  ? ” 
“Two  months.”  “I  am  going  home.”  “But  you 
will  lose  half  of  your  life.”  “Do  you  not  think  I 
would  be  glad  to  give  half  my  life  for  the  sake  of  tell- 
ing my  people  of  Christ’s  love?  ” she  replied.  And 
she  went  home. 

How  inadequate  is  our  support  of  these  great  evan- 
gelization centers,  is  illustrated  by  the  case  of  our  dis- 
pensary at  Sam  Kong,  and  that  of  the  hospital  at  Lien 
Chow.  In  the  three  days  a week  given  to  the  Sam 
Kong  dispensary  by  Dr.  Machle  and  Dr.  Eleanor 
Chestnut,  in  1898,  17,000  cases  were  treated.  The 
appropriation  of  the  Board  for  this  immense  work  is 
$160.  “Of  course  you  understand,”  said  one  of  the 
missionaries  to  me,  “that  this  does  not  cover  all  the 
expenses.”  “ Oh,  no,”  I replied,  “ the  doctors’  salaries 
are  extra.”  “ Yes,  but  there  are  other  extras.”  And 
I find  our  missionaries  must  make  them  up,  if  the  work 
is  not  to  suffer  (about  $40). 

54 


China 


That  one  dispensary  in  1S9S  had  patients  from  fifty 
villages.  It  borders  on  fierce  Hunan,  and  the  Hunan- 
ese  hear  the  gospel  there. 

The  Lien  Chow  men’s  hospital  is  ten  miles  from 
Sam  Kong.  It  is  two  stories  high,  and  the  upper  floor 
where  are  three  rooms  for  paying  patients,  was  until 
1902  occupied  by  Dr.  Machle  and  family.  The  lower 
floor  has  a ward,  a preaching-hall,  a dispensary  and 
operating  room.  There  is  also  a woman’s  hospital. 

The  Annual  Report  for  1898  says:  “ There  is  an 
obvious  disadvantage  in  being  compelled  to  reside  in 
a building  directly  over  the  wards  and  the  operating- 
room  of  a hospital.  The  communication  of  disease, 
the  close  contact  with  the  suffering  whose  cries  of  dis- 
tress it  is  impossible  to  ignore,  and  the  general  strain 
upon  the  nerves  and  sympathies  of  the  family — all 
point  to  the  obvious  necessity  of  a separate  residence.” 
And  the  terrible  odors  are  hard  to  endure. 

Bark  sheds  had  soon  to  be  erected  for  the  overflow 
of  patients  at  Lien  Chow.  This  work  is  300  miles 
from  Canton,  as  far  as  Boston  from  Philadelphia — but 
it  takes  three  weeks  by  boats  up  the  Lien  Chow  River 
to  reach  it.  “We  really  need  a steam  launch,”  said 
one  of  the  missionaries,  “ to  save  time.  For  it  would 
take  only  a day  or  so  then.”  “ And  what  would  that 
cost?”  “About  $2,000.”  So  for  a long  time  yet, 
the  trip  will  doubtless  be  made  in  boats  towed  by  men 
up  the  many  rapids. 

The  new  hospital  of  Hoi  How,  on  the  Island  of 
Hainan,  with  its  airy  rooms  for  women,  seems  to  revo- 
lutionize the  ideas  of  the  people  in  regard  to  pure  air 
55 


Opportunities 


and  cleanliness.  At  home  they  occasionally  sweep 
the  floors  but  never  wash  them,  and  for  the  washing 
of  beds,  chairs,  tables,  once  a year  will  suffice.  They 
ask  “ Why  should  they  be  washed  so  frequently?  Why 
should  the  missionaries  put  on  that  queer-smelling 
medicine  (carbolic  acid)?” 

When  cholera  came  and  the  wards  had  to  be  closed 
to  prevent  contagion,  the  foreign  residents  gave  $800 
to  erect  an  isolation  ward  and  morgue.  This  building 
meets  the  needs  of  cholera,  smallpox,  and  other  in- 
fectious diseases. 

The  Nodoa  Hospital  was  originally  built  with  mud 
walls  and  floor,  and  grass  thatch ; — excellent  for 
germs,  and  very  damp.  But  now  a new  building  has 
been  erected.  It  is  pitiful  to  learn  of  so  many  wretched 
little  buildings  in  which  our  workers  are  still  compelled 
to  carry  on  so  much  of  their  work.  A recent  memorial 
hospital  in  the  Middle  States  was  erected  in  a town 
already  possessing  one,  all  the  beds  of  which  had 
never  been  occupied. 

Central  China  was  the  scene  of  labors  of  the  first 
Presbyterian  medical  missionaries  to  China,  Dr.  Hep- 
burn going  to  Amoy  in  1843,  when  the  work  was 
transferred  from  Singapore,  while  Ningpo  received 
Dr.  McCartee  in  1844. 

The  Alumni  Register  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania gives  this  information  about  Dr.  McCartee  : 

“ The  Christian  Intelligencer,  published  in  a recent 
issue  a life  of  Dr.  McCartee  written  by  David  Murray, 
LL.  D.,  the  well-known  author.  Through  the  cour- 
tesy of  Peter  McCartee,  brother  of  the  doctor,  we  re- 
56 


DR.  D.  B.  McCARTEE. 


China 


produce  a photograph  of  Dr.  McCartee  taken  about 
fifteen  years  ago.  Mr.  Murray’s  sketch  of  Dr.  Mc- 
Cartee is  reproduced  in  full : 

“ Divie  Bethune  McCartee,  scholar,  missionary  and 
diplomatist,  died  in  San  Francisco,  July  17,  1900. 
He  has  been  connected  intimately  and  honorably 
throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  long  life  with  the 
affairs  of  China  and  Japan.  The  services  which  he 
has  rendered  in  these  two  great  countries  will  be  long 
remembered  and  gratefully  appreciated.  He  has  been 
witness  to  many  of  the  marvelous  changes  which  have 
transformed  these  two  nations  into  what  we  see  them 
to-day.  It  will  be  of  interest  to  trace  the  life  of  this 
great  man  through  some  of  the  experiences  which  he 
encountered  in  his  busy  and  eventful  life. 

“Divie  Bethune  McCartee  was  born  in  Philadel- 
phia, January  13,  1820.  He  was  the  son  of  Rev. 
Robert  McCartee,  D.  D.  His  mother,  Jessie  Graham 
Bethune,  was  a daughter  of  Divie  Bethune,  one  of  the 
eminent  New  Yorkers  of  Huguenot  ancestry,  and  a 
sister  of  the  distinguished  Rev.  Dr.  Geo.  W.  Bethune. 
His  education  was  obtained  from  Columbia  college, 
where  he  spent  part  of  his  college  course,  and  from 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  medicine  in  1840.  After  his  graduation,  while  he 
was  engaged  in  medical  practice,  he  was  invited  by  the 
Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  to  go  to  China 
as  a medical  missionary.  He  sailed  from  New  York 
in  October,  1843,  and  after  some  detention  at  Hong- 
kong, where  he  used  his  time  in  studying  the  language 
and  in  gaining  a knowledge  of  the  prevalent  diseases, 
57 


Opportunities 


he  reached  his  destination,  Ningpo,  June  21,  1844. 
Here  he  began  his  distinguished  and  successful  career. 
He  was  naturally  a gifted  linguist,  and  soon  was  able 
to  make  his  way  among  the  native  population.  His 
gratuitous  treatment  of  medical  and  surgical  cases 
drew  to  him  many  native  sufferers,  who  became  his 
warm  friends.  He  and  other  missionary  workers 
gained  in  this  way  a hearing  for  the  gospel  which 
would  not  otherwise  have  been  possible.  He  had 
during  this. period  of  his  career  many  interesting  ex- 
periences which  he  was  fond  of  detailing  to  his  friends. 
I remember  one  which  he  told  as  illustrative  of  the 
courage  and  indifference  with  which  the  eastern  peo- 
ples undergo  operations  and  endure  pain.  A stone- 
mason came  to  him  one  day  with  a hand  badly  crushed. 
On  examination  he  found  that  he  could  save  the  fore- 
finger and  thumb,  but  would  be  obliged  to  dissect 
away  the  remainder  of  the  fingers  and  most  of  the 
hand.  He  explained  the  matter  to  his  patient  and 
told  him  that  it  would  take  some  time  and  would  be 
quite  painful.  (There  was  no  anesthesia  in  those 
days.)  The  man  seemed  quite  indifferent  and  said  : 
‘I  can  stand  it,  doctor,  if  you  can.  Go  ahead.’  It 
was  during  this  early  part  of  his  career  in  the  East  that 
Dr.  McCartee  met  and  married  Miss  Joanna  Knight, 
who  had  come  out  to  join  her  sister,  Mrs.  Rankin,  as 
a missionary  of  the  Presbyterian  Board.  During  the 
rest  of  his  long  life  she  has  continued  to  be  his  faithful 
and  efficient  companion  in  his  labors  and  experiences. 
She  still  survives  him  and  is  now  living  with  her  sister, 
the  widow  of  the  late  Dr.  Aikman,  at  Madison,  N.  J. 
53 


China 


“Dr.  McCartee’s  distinguished  linguistic  attain- 
ments made  him  of  immediate  importance  to  the  diplo- 
matists of  his  country,  who  were  sent  out  to  China  in 
the  diplomatic  or  in  the  consular  service.  He  was  an 
expert  in  the  language  and  in  all  the  formalities  and 
ceremonial  observances  which  formed  so  essential  a 
part  of  the  intercourse  with  that  ancient  and  punc- 
tilious nation.  He  was  connected  at  important  and 
critical  times  with  the  consulates  at  Ningpo,  Chefoo, 
and  Shanghai,  and  the  services  which  he  was  able  to 
render  were  highly  appreciated  and  gratefully  acknowl- 
edged on  many  occasions. 

“ In  the  early  seventies  Dr.  McCartee  removed  to 
Japan,  where  the  marvelous  developments  in  govern- 
ment, education  and  industrial  pursuits  were  begin- 
ning to  be  felt.  He  became  a professor  in  the  institu- 
tion which  has  since  grown  into  the  Imperial  Univer- 
sity. He  also  was  intrusted  with  the  care  of  the 
girls’  normal  school,  which  was  established  at  Tokyo, 
and  besides  was  detailed  for  special  service  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Botanical  Garden,  which  had  been  es- 
tablished in  Tokyo  and  was  under  the  administration 
of  the  Department  of  Education.  He  continued  for 
five  years  to  hold  these  positions,  and  to  fulfill  their 
duties  with  distinguished  satisfaction.  When  he  was 
about  to  relinquish  them  the  Acting  Minister  of  Edu- 
cation, Fujimaro  Tanaka,  acknowledged  in  writing 
the  great  obligations  the  department  was  under  to 
Dr.  McCartee  for  his  faithful  and  efficient  serv- 
ices. And  in  a combined  letter  the  students  who 
had  been  under  his  care  tendered  to  him  their 
59 


Opportunities 


united  thanks  for  his  faithful  and  valuable  instruc- 
tions. 

“In  1877  Dr.  McCartee  entered  the  service  of  the 
Chinese  Legation  at  Tokyo  as  its  foreign  secretary. 
His  knowledge  of  the  Chinese  and  Japanese  languages 
and  his  familiarity  with  diplomatic  usages  rendered 
him  superbly  qualified  for  his  position.  After  two 
years  of  service  H.  E.  Ho  Ju  Chang,  Chinese  Minis- 
ter to  Japan,  acknowledged  his  obligations  to  him  in 
these  generous  words : * When  I was  appointed  Im- 
perial Envoy  to  Japan  in  the  winter  of  1877,  feeling 
the  need  of  his  assistance,  I invited  him  to  join  the 
staff  of  the  legation.  From  that  time  to  the  present, 
during  more  than  two  years,  I have  consulted  him  in 
every  important  particular  and  from  his  advice  I have 
received  very  important  assistance.  I now  inscribe 
these  lines  on  parting  to  serve  as  a lasting  memento  of 
my  regard  and  esteem.’ 

“The  last  years  of  Dr.  McCartee’s  life  have  been 
spent  chiefly  in  missionary  labor.  He  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  Meiji  Gakuin  in  the  city  of  Tokyo, 
and  has  employed  most  of  his  time  in  the  work  of 
translation.  His  failing  health  led  him  to  surrender 
the  work  which  had  engaged  his  attention,  and  he  re- 
turned to  California.  But  his  increasing  years  and 
his  many  labors  had  worn  out  his  vigorous  frame.  He 
never,  after  his  return  to  America,  recovered  his 
wonted  health.  He  died,  as  we  have  said,  July  17, 
1900,  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  his  age.  His  faithful 
wife  was  with  him  to  the  last,  and  brought  the  body 
of  her  husband  to  the  East,  and  buried  it  in  the  family 
60 


China 


burying  plot  in  Newburgh,  N.  Y.,  beside  his  father  and 
mother. 

“Dr.  McCartee  has  received  many  marks  of  dis- 
tinction in  recognition  of  his  learning  and  services. 
He  received  from  the  Chinese  Government  a gold 
medal  in  connection  with  the  suppression  of  the  Macao 
coolie  traffic ; he  also  was  honored  with  the  title  of 
Consul-general  by  the  Chinese  Government  in  recog- 
nition of  his  services  in  the  Chinese  Legation  at 
Tokyo ; he  received  from  the  Japanese  Government 
the  decoration  of  the  fifth  order  of  the  Rising  Sun. 

“No  rewards  or  decorations,  however,  can  ade- 
quately recompense  the  labors  and  sacrifices  of  such  a 
life.  Those  who  knew  Dr.  McCartee  and  realized  the 
deep  sincerity  of  his  character,  the  noble  unselfishness 
which  everywhere  was  apparent  in  him,  the  alertness 
of  his  mental  activity,  and  his  conscientious  devotion 
to  every  duty  can  alone  properly  appreciate  and  duly 
reverence  this  good  and  able  and  distinguished  man.” 

The  Tooker  Memorial  Hospital  at  Soochow,  was 
erected  in  1897  by  one  generous  American,  who  pays 
all  its  expenses.  It  is  in  charge  of  two  women  physi- 
cians. Would  that  many  more  such  memorials  were 
erected  ! Medical  centers  have  been  started  in  Hunan 
at  Siang  Tan,  and  Wei  Tuen. 

Before  the  Boxer  uprising,  at  the  An  Ting  Hospital 
at  Peking  we  heard  of  daily  morning  and  evening 
prayers  and  the  spirituality  of  the  helpers.  One 
physician  had  been  meeting  many  young  mandarins 
with  whom  he  had  conversed  of  Christ.  Their 
prejudices  were  slowly  breaking  down.  He  had  urged 
61 


Opportunities 


the  viceroy,  Li  Hung  Chang,  to  accept  Christianity. 
“I  know  he  reflects  about  it,”  he  wrote.  Dr.  B.  C. 
Atterbury  visited  many  villages,  dispensing  medicine, 
preaching  Christ,  in  addition  to  all  else.  The  sympa- 
thetic work  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Inglis  for  patients  of  all 
classes  in  the  An  Ting  Hospital  brought  in  an  unusual 
number  of  in-patients,  not  a few  of  whom  received 
healing  of  soul  as  well  as  of  body  through  the  efforts  of 
those  in  charge,  and  of  Mr.  Whiting  who  spent  much 
time  in  the  hospital.  There  were  also  four  dispen- 
saries. Dr.  Atterbury  began  the  work  in  1879.  The 
hospital  was  built  in  1884.  Twenty -six  thousand 
treatments  were  reported  in  1898. 

Peking  has  wide  streets,  and  is  said  to  be  the 
only  city  in  the  empire  that  could  be  remodeled  on 
modern  lines  without  being  all  torn  to  pieces.  The 
main  value  of  the  wide  streets  has  been  to  insure 
larger  space  for  mud  and  stagnant  pools,  reeking  with 
disease  and  giving  off  such  foul  odors  that  but  to 
smell  is  to  wish  the  streets  very,  very  narrow,  in- 
deed. 

Dr.  Leonard  opened  the  woman’s  dispensary  or 
hospital  January  4,  1898,  keeping  the  number  of  in- 
patients low,  in  order  to  have  time  for  language  study. 
She  visited  many  homes,  the  gospel  being  everywhere 
faithfully  preached,  in  the  homes,  to  the  in-patients, 
to  dispensary  patients,  by  Miss  McKillican  or  Mrs. 
Fenn.  “ God’s  word  shall  not  return  unto  him 
void.” 

From  the  dispensaries  at  Paotingfu  much  help  had 
been  extended. 


62 


China 


Itinerating  forms  a considerable  part  of  the  work. 
Many  villages  were  visited,  medicines  dispensed,  fairs 
attended,  books  sold  and  the  gospel  preached. 

The  report  for  1900  tells  of  five  native  helpers  at 
An  Ting  Hospital,  four  serving  without  pay.  Three 
of  these  men  took  a special  interest  in  preaching  the 
gospel  to  the  patients,  so  that  no  one  left  the  hospital 
without  having  heard  the  story  from  them  many 
times.  The  dispensary  practice  had  4,324  patients. 
There  had  been  a large  increase  in  the  fees  received. 

The  same  report,  in  telling  about  the  hospital  and 
dispensary  work  at  Paotingfu,  quotes  Dr.  G.  Yardley 
Taylor  as  follows  : 

“The  question  of  numbers  in  medical  work  is  not 
so  important  as  many  seem  to  think.  Medical  mis- 
sions were  planned  to  relieve  the  needless  suffering  in 
heathen  lands,  and  by  an  exhibition  of  the  practical 
fruits  of  Christianity,  to  win  for  the  gospel  a hearing 
it  might  otherwise  fail  to  secure.  This  being  true,  it 
follows  that  no  unnecessary  hindrances  should  be 
allowed  to  interfere  with  the  natural  growth  of  medical 
work,  and  that,  in  case  there  is  no  growth,  the  causes 
should  be  sought.  For  one  may  feel  very  sure,  at 
least  in  China,  that  when  those  seeking  medical  help 
are  few,  the  chapels  are  not  being  overcrowded  with 
eager  hearers.  Hence,  it  is  with  a feeling  of  satis- 
faction we  note  that  the  tide,  ebbing  for  more  than  a 
year,  seems  to  have  turned.  The  dispensary  attend- 
ance for  the  last  two  months  was  the  largest  recorded 
since  our  station  has  been  opened. 

“ Mention  must  be  made  of  Mr.  Lowrie’s  faithful- 
63 


Opportunities 


ness  in  talking  to  the  city  patients,  and  Dr.  Hodge’s 
assistance  during  the  short  time  he  has  been  a member 
of  the  station.” 

Dr.  Taylor  and  Dr.  Hodge  suffered  martyrdom. 
Buildings  and  work  were  wiped  out  at  these  stations. 
In  the  plans  for  reconstruction  Paotingfu  is  to  be  made 
the  center  of  work,  but  the  extreme  importance  of  the 
An  Ting  Hospital  made  the  Board  of  f'oreign  Missions 
decide  to  rebuild  it  at  a cost  of  $10,000,  gold,  and  also 
four  residences.  At  Paotingfu  the  men’s  and  the 
women’s  hospitals  are  to  be  rebuilt  at  a cost  of  $4,000 
each,  on  the  land  given  as  indemnity. 

At  Tungchow  Hospital,  the  number  of  patients  in- 
creased, but  the  dispensary  attendance  was  injuriously 
affected  by  making  a small  charge  for  medicines  (in 
1898),  except  in  charity  cases.  Dr.  Seymour  visited 
twenty-nine  villages  in  1897-8,  in  each  place  treating 
the  sick  and  injured,  preaching  the  gospel  and  dis- 
tributing tracts.  The  important  medical  work  of  this 
station  is  conducted  with  marked  economy,  as  we 
sadly  note  from  the  annual  report.  There  were  eight 
medical  students  reported  in  1901. 

In  Chinanfu,  occupied  in  1872,  medical  work  was 
begun  in  1879  or  1881  by  Dr.  Stephen  A.  Hunter,  but 
not  till  1884  could  he  secure  a suitable  permanent 
location  in  the  main  street,  in  front  of  the  prefect’s 
yamen,  and  even  then  the  premises  obtained  were 
only  large  enough  for  the  street  chapel  and  dispen- 
sary, no  hospital  accommodations  being  afforded. 

For  ten  years  unavailing  efforts  for  a hospital  were 
made,  till  finally,  in  1891,  a piece  of  land  was  se- 
64 


China 


cured,  well  located  on  high  ground  in  the  east 
suburb;  in  front  of  which  the  present  Mcllvaine 
Hospital  was  soon  after  created.  In  1895  another 
piece  of  ground  was  secured  in  the  same  region,  and 
a new  woman’s  hospital  built ; Dr.  Sarah  A.  Poin- 
dexter having  opened  a dispensary  and  hospital  for 
women  and  children  in  temporary  quarters.  The  old 
city  dispensary  was  finally  abandoned,  and  work  is 
now  all  centered  in  the  suburb.  The  Mcllvaine 
Hospital  was  built  with  part  of  a legacy  left  by  the 
Rev.  Jasper  S.  Mcllvaine,  for  ten  years  a missionary 
in  Chinanfu  and  vicinity,  till  his  death  in  1881.  The 
total  cost  of  land  and  buildings  was  about  $5,000, 
Mexican,  or  $2,500  of  our  money.  Rev.  Gilbert 
Reid  supervised  the  first  buildings,  which  were 
opened  by  Dr.  Van  Schoick  in  August,  1892.  In 
1894  they  were  completed  under  Dr.  James  S.  Neal. 
He  says  : ‘ ‘ The  plan  and  general  architecture  are 
entirely  in  Chinese  style.  There  are  three  courts  in 
all,  directly  succeeding  each  other  from  south  to 
north ; namely,  a gate  court  into  which  opens  the 
main  entrance  and  in  which  are  small  side  houses  for 
transients  and  the  poorer  class  of  patients ; next,  a 
dispensary  court  with  large  main  building  facing 
south,  used  for  daily  dispensing,  and  the  other  at 
present  (1896)  is  occupied  by  the  woman’s  dispen- 
sary ; and  lastly,  a hospital  court  with  one  main  and 
two  side  buildings.  In  the  hospital  proper  are  three 
large  wards,  12x28  feet  each,  capable  of  accommo- 
dating, without  crowding,  nine  patients  each.  Be- 
sides these  wards  there  are  three  or  four  smaller 
65 


Opportunities 


rooms,  making  the  capacity  of  the  hospital  from 
thirty-five  to  forty.  As  every  one  knows,  however, 
who  has  had  any  experience  in  hospital  work  in 
North  China,  this  does  not  mean  that  this  number  of 
patients  can  be  accommodated  at  any  one  time. 
Owing  to  the  number  of  friends  and  relatives  who 
come  with  patients,  and  who  are  really  necessary  in 
any  serious  case,  as  the  hospital  does  not  furnish 
nurses,  a considerably  smaller  number  fills  the  prem- 
ises. Up  to  the  present  only  about  twenty  patients 
have  been  under  treatment  at  any  one  time,  any  ad- 
ditional applicants  being  sent  to  native  inns  for  lack 
of  room. 

“ It  should  be  said,  however,  that  directly  behind 
the  hospital,  and  in  intimate  connection  with  it,  is  a 
court  for  medical  students,  which  will  eventually  be- 
come part  of  the  hospital,  thereby  increasing  its  ca- 
pacity to  about  seventy. 

“The  patients  often  come  a four  or  five  days’  jour- 
ney, or  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  They  are  so 
clanish,  that  a benefit  to  one  man  often  means  thirty 
or  forty  other  patients  from  his  neighborhood.  Pa- 
tients are  required  to  furnish  their  own  bedding  and 
food,  which,  as  a rule  they  are  expected  to  buy  from 
restaurants,  not  to  cook  it  themselves  on  the  premises. 
All  medicine  and  treatment  are  free,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  certain  diseases  treated  in  the  dispensary  and 
of  the  opium-habit  patients,  who  are  required  to  pay 
seventy-five  cents,  on  entrance,  to  cover  the  cost  of 
medicines  and  to  further  insure  their  remaining  until 
cured.  We  tried  charging  a small  entrance  fee  to  all 
66 


China 


patients  able  to  pay  at  the  city  dispensary,  but  it  did 
not  seem  to  work  well.  We  have  not  yet  been  con- 
vinced that  the  charging  of  fees  in  what  is  supposed 
to  be  a purely  benevolent  work,  is  calculated  to  pro- 
duce a favorable  impression  for  Christianity. 

“The  majority  of  our  in-patients  are  farmers  from 
the  surrounding  districts,  but  the  dispensary  practice 
brings  representatives  from  all  classes,  from  the  well- 
dressed  official  to  the  filthy  beggar.”  Mr.  Ma  had 
been  the  right-hand  man  since  1885.  Dr.  Neal  mod- 
estly says:  “If  the  work  of  the  Mcllvaine  Hospital 

is  in  any  measure  a success  it  is  due  in  large  part  to 
the  presence,  influence  and  faithful  work  of  Mr.  Ma ; 
at  first  a mere  dispenser,  he  joined  the  earliest  class 
of  medical  students  and  took  the  highest  rank  in  his 
studies  all  through  his  course.”  Dr.  Neal’s  favorite 
work  has  been  the  training  of  medical  students. 

The  woman’s  hospital,  costing  $3,570,  Mexican, 
was  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Boyd,  of  Harrisburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  accommodations  are  ample  for  any 
number  of  out-patients.  Twenty  or  more  in-pa- 
tients find  room.  Mrs.  Ma  was  partially  trained  by 
Dr.  Poindexter  (now  Mrs.  Rufus  H.  Bent),  of 
Chining  Chow,  and  also  by  her  husband ; and  after 
Dr.  Poindexter  left,  she  saw  dispensary  patients  every 
day  but  Sunday. 

In  the  training  of  medical  students,  a four  years’ 
course  is  given,  after  which  “they  are  expected  to 
spend  from  two  to  four  years  in  some  mission  hospital, 
in  order  to  supplement  their  regular  course  and  to  re- 
pay in  a measure  the  cost  of  educating  them,  and  to 
67 


Opportunities 


receive  their  medical  certificate.  Each  boy,  with  one 
exception,  receives  about  $2  Mexican  per  moon,  while 
studying.  After  graduating  they  command  from  five 
to  seven  dollars  per  Chinese  month.  It  may  be  of 
interest  to  those  engaged  in  medical  instruction  to 
know  that  we  have  tried  the  plan  of  cooperative 
teaching  of  medicine  in  Shantung.  The  second  class 
of  students,  after  spending  a year  and  a half  in 
Chinanfu,  finishing  with  me  chemistry,  anatomy  and 
physiology,  went  to  I-Chow-fu  for  a year  and  a half’s 
study  with  Dr.  Johnson,  who  took  them  over  most  of 
practice  and  surgery. 

“ On  their  return  here  they  spent  a year  finishing 
up  their  course.  The  present  class  started  in  to  pur- 
sue the  same  plan,  but  owing  to  Dr.  Johnson’s  assist- 
ants leaving  him,  they  were  compelled  to  return  to 
Chinanfu  after  only  a couple  of  months  with  Dr. 
Johnson.  I am  inclined  to  think  favorably  of  such  a 
plan,  especially  if  mission  stations  are  not  too  far 
apart,  as  giving  students  an  opportunity  to  see  differ- 
ent methods  and  hear  varied  instruction.  The  result 
in  the  case  of  the  second  class  was  very  satisfactory,” 
was  Dr.  Neal’s  verdict. 

At  Chining  Chow  the  Rose  Bachman  Memorial 
Hospital  had,  in  1898,  371  in-patients  and  14,688 
dispensary  patients ; the  Hunter  Memorial  Hospital 
for  women,  292  in-patients  and  2,295  dispensary  pa- 
tients. “Serious  operations  have  been  performed 
which  have  opened  doors  for  the  entrance  of  the 
gospel  into  hearts  and  homes  and  villages.”  It  is  im- 
possible to  give  full  details  of  each  hospital.  The 
68 


CARRYING  A SICK  BABY  TO  THE  HOSPITAL  AT  LIEN  CHOW. 
PHOTOGRAPH  II Y DR.  ELEANOR  CHESTNUT. 


China 


work  varies  in  each.  Many  students  are  trained; 
medical  works  are  translated  and  written,  etc.  Preju- 
dice is  slowly  disarmed  as  the  Chinese  find  that  our 
medical  missionaries  do  not  decoy  their  children  to 
make  medicine  of  their  eyes,  or  collect  girls  “in  a 
quiet  way  and  when  a large  number  had  been  col- 
lected, and  they  had  been  sufficiently  improved  by 
their  good  living,”  ship  them  off  to  some  distant  land 
to  be  used  in  an  “elixir  of  life.”  “The  bodies 
were  to  be  boiled,  and  from  them  would  be  expressed 
a kind  of  oil,  which,  when  eaten,  has  marvelous  ef- 
fects.” This  was  at  one  time  the  view  taken  of  the 
work  for  girls  by  Mrs.  Nevius  at  Tungchow. 

The  work  is  hindered  in  various  other  ways.  In 
“ Chinese  Characteristics  ” we  read  that  “ the  opinion 
of  the  most  ignorant  assistant  in  a dispensary  seems 
(and  therefore  is)  to  the  average  patient  as  valuable 
as  that  of  the  physician  in  charge,  though  the  former 
may  not  be  able  to  read  a character,  does  not  know 
the  name  of  a drug,  nor  the  symptoms  of  any  disease  ; 
and  though  the  latter  may  have  been  decorated  with 
all  the  letters  in  the  alphabet  of  medical  titles,  and 
have  had  a generation  of  experience.  Yet  a hint 
from  the  gate-keeper  or  the  coolie  may  be  sufficient  to 
secure  the  complete  disregard  of  the  directions  of  the 
physician  and  the  adoption  of  something  certainly 
foolish,  and  possibly  fatal.” 

It  is  often  considered  cheaper  to  undergo  severe  and 
repeated  attacks  of  intermittent  fever,  than  to  pay  ten 
cash — about  one  cent — for  a dose  of  quinia,  morally 
certain  to  cure.  A man  waited  in  agony  more  than 
69 


Opportunities 


two  weeks,  after  contracting  some  eye  trouble,  before 
coming  to  the  hospital  for  treatment,  hoping  each  day 
that  the  pain  would  stop ; as  the  result  of  which,  one 
eye  was  totally  destroyed  by  a corneal  ulcer. 

The  Chinese  have  marvelous  capacity  to  resist  dis- 
ease. None  of  the  trifling  disturbances  that  drive  us 
to  despair  annoy  him.  With  his  hard  pillow  the 
Chinaman  can  lie  down  and  sleep  regardless  of  all 
round  him.  When  operated  on,  he  recovers  with 
equanimity,  for  he  has  no  nerves.  He  bears  his  ills 
with  fortitude  and  patience.  One  man  who  had  lost 
the  use  of  both  eyes,  on  applying  to  the  foreign  physi- 
cian to  know  if  he  could  ever  see,  and  having  a 
negative  answer,  remarked — “Then  my  heart  is  at 
ease.” 

This  cheery  content  does  not  forsake  them  when 
suffering  from  every  variety  of  disease,  with  insuf- 
ficient food,  and  neglected  or  abandoned  by  their 
relatives.  They  display  an  excess  of  frankness  to- 
ward any  afflicted  person.  “This  boy  is  idiotic  ” is 
said  before  him ; every  peculiarity  and  symptom  is 
detailed.  Ailments  of  women  and  children  are  apt 
to  be  treated  by  the  men  of  the  family  as  of  no  con- 
sequence, and  constantly  allowed  to  run  into  incur- 
able maladies.  But  in  a foreign  hospital  many 
instances  of  devotion  are  witnessed ; of  parents  to- 
ward children,  of  children  toward  parents,  even  of 
wives  toward  husbands  and  of  husbands  toward  wives. 

“Wrath-matter,  ch'i,"  is  generated  when  a man 
becomes  very  angry;  and  all  sorts  of  diseases,  blind- 
ness, failure  of  the  heart,  etc.,  are  attributed  to  it. 

70 


China 


A Chinese  doctor  asks  his  patient,  among  his  first 
questions,  “What  was  it  that  threw  you  into  a 
passion  ? ” 

Upon  the  spread  of  some  fatal  epidemic  in  many 
parts  of  China,  a New  Year’s  celebration  is  held  at 
the  beginning  of  the  sixth  or  seventh  moon,  so  as  to 
deceive  the  God  of  the  pestilence,  who  will  then  think 
he  has  miscalculated  the  time  of  year  and  will  depart, 
allowing  the  plague  to  cease. 

In  spite  of  all  hindrances  the  medical  work  has 
spread  the  gospel  tidings  far  beyond  the  domain  of 
the  doctor,  for  each  patient  goes  home  to  his  village 
to  tell  of  Christian  kindness  and  of  the  strange  new 
religion,  so  that  whole  villages  have  been  brought  to 
God  because  of  one  single  cure.  The  news  spreads. 
Patients  have  come  a thousand  miles.  In  The 
Mission  Press  of  China  we  are  told  that  in  the  early 
days  of  our  Press,  small  parcels  of  selected  tracts  and 
scripture  portions  were  put  on  board  each  vessel  of  a 
fleet  ere  it  sailed.  These  were  only  to  be  supplied  to 
readers  in  the  port  to  which  they  were  bound.  Many 
of  these  parcels  were  given  in  charge  of  sailors  who 
had  previously  received  medicines  and  medical  treat- 
ment at  the  dispensary  and  who  were  glad  to  render 
some  service  in  return.  In  this  manner  Christian 
literature  was  scattered  abroad  in  regions  where  mis- 
sionaries never  could  have  access.  From  an  early 
record  kept,  it  appears  that  in  some  cases,  ‘ ‘ when  it 
was  known  that  the  captain  of  the  native  trading  ves- 
sel had  such  books,  the  people  came  up  to  the  ship  in 
such  numbers  as  to  speedily  exhaust  the  supply.” 

71 


Opportunities 


The  worst  suffering  a Chinese  girl  and  woman  un- 
dergoes conies  from  foot-binding.  Nine-tenths  of  the 
women  are  small-footed,  as  the  Manchu  race,  to  which 
the  Empress  Dowager  belongs,  is  the  only  one  in 
which  this  practice  does  not  obtain.  The  Tien  7'su 
Hui  or  Anti-foot-binding  Society  is  doing  all  it  can  to 
break  up  the  evil.  In  many  of  our  Christian  schools, 
girls  must  unbind  their  feet  in  order  to  enter. 
“Women  do  not  want  to  cripple  themselves;  they 
only  do  it  to  please  men,  and  if  sure  their  little  girls, 
when  of  age,  would  as  easily  find  eligible  husbands, 
there  would  be  no  wish  on  the  part  of  the  mothers  to 
give  them  pain,”  writes  the  secretary  of  the  Tien  Tsu 
Hui.  Paralysis  and  even  more  serious  troubles  result 
from  foot-binding,  and  the  intelligence  of  growing 
girls  is  affected  by  it.  Sometimes  the  whole  foot 
drops  off,  as  in  cases  described  in  Woman' s Work  in 
the  Far  East. 

One  Chinese  woman  was  asked  to  become  a Chris- 
tian. “I  could  not,”  she  replied.  “ You  know  He 
says  ‘ Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel 
to  every  creature.’  I might  go  to  the  nearest  villages 
and  perhaps  to  the  next  ones,  but  with  these  feet  I 
never  could  obey  him,  and  so  I cannot  be  a Chris- 
tian.” 

Wherever  foot-binding  is  adopted,  infanticide  of 
girls  prevails. 

Mrs.  Ding  Ai-nyok  in  Woman' s Work  in  the  Far 
East,  tells  the  results  of  unbinding  her  feet.  “The 
Chinese  have  a saying  ‘ A woman’s  feet  and  hair  pro- 
claim what  kind  of  a woman  she  is.’  It  is  of  the  ut- 
72 


China 


most  importance  that  the  feet  be  not  over  three  inches, 
so  that  they  appear  like  a golden  lily.  They  do  not 
think  of  the  injury  to  the  body  and  of  the  suffering 
which  this  custom  causes.  I remember,  when  a child, 
how  I suffered  while  my  mother  was  binding  my  feet. 
I could  neither  eat  nor  sleep,  so  I sat  in  one  position  all 
day  long,  and  cried.  Although  suffering,  my  parents 
felt  it  must  be  done;  as  the  Chinese  think  that  a 
woman  who  has  not  bound  her  feet  must  belong  to  the 
servile  class.  Alas  ! that  it  should  be  so.  There  can 
be  no  reason  for  such  a belief,  only  that  we  live  in 
darkness  and  are  in  the  power  of  Satan.  How  grate- 
ful we  should  be  to  the  friends  who  have  brought  us 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  Already  many  Christians 
have  been  persuaded  to  give  up  this  cruel  custom. 

“When  I was  first  spoken  to  on  the  subject,  it 
seemed  I could  not  unbind  my  feet.  Few  people  had 
yet  unbound,  and  those  who  had  taken  such  a step, 
had  become  the  talk  of  the  neighborhood.  Then 
some  Christians  said  : ‘ Bound  feet  have  nothing  to 

do  with  the  salvation  of  your  soul.’  I thought  so, 
too,  and  was  very  unwilling  to  unbind  my  feet  and 
thus  subject  myself  to  untold  ridicule.  Now  I want 
to  say  that  I have  not  words  to  express  the  good  re- 
sulting. Well  for  me  that  one  of  the  missionaries 
pleaded  her  cause  so  well.  I had  been  a Christian  for 
years,  but  could  see  no  advantage  in  unbinding  my 
feet.  Not  only  has  my  body  been  greatly  benefited 
but  also  my  soul.  Since  then  I have  received  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  dwell  in  my  heart.  Before  I un- 
bound, a step  an  inch  long  was  attended  with  pain, 
73 


Opportunities 


so  no  matter  how  many  open  doors  there  might  be 
for  the  gospel,  I could  not  enter  them.  Now  I go 
wherever  I want  to  go.  I can  now  present  my  body 
a living  sacrifice,  holy  and  acceptable ; something  I 
could  not  do  when  I had  bound  feet. 

“ Now  when  I go  into  the  houses  of  the  heathen, 
many  people  crowd  round  me  to  see  my  feet  and  in- 
stead of  feeling  ashamed,  I feel  that  it  is  an  oppor- 
tunity to  tell  them  what  the  religion  of  Jesus  does  for 
us. 

I plead  all  the  more  earnestly  with  Christians  to 
unbind  because  I feel  my  former  position  was  much 
like  that  of  St.  Paul  before  he  was  converted.” 

The  opium  curse  is  everywhere.  The  victims  of 
the  habit  must  have  it  at  all  hazards,  and  no  crime 
will  deter  them  from  obtaining  it.  India  supplies  its 
Government  with  $15,000,000  revenue  from  it  an- 
nually, and  ninety  per  cent  of  the  crop  is  sent  to 
China.  Dr.  Dennis  says:  “Throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  China  it  prevails  to  an  extent  which 
may  be  regarded  as  a frightful,  demoralizing,  social 
evil.  It  is  one  of  the  most  threatening  and  militant 
evils  of  China,  and,  indeed,  of  all  sections  of  the 
earth  where  it  is  gaining  headway.” 

Dr.  Machle  translated  from  the  Chinese  book, 
“ Family  Physician  for  the  Laity,”  the  three  following 
prescriptions : 

“ Diarrhcea  (Infantile). 

This  is  a disease  of  children.  The  child  has 
malaise,  rapid  breathing,  rolling  eyes  and  spasms. 

74 


China 


There  is  vomiting  and  violent  purging.  It  is  a very 
dangerous  disease  and  will  prove  fatal  in  a day  or 
two. 

Treatment. 

R — One  yellow  chick  with  its  down  on  and  a 
day  or  two  old. 

One  mussel. 

One  piece  of  burnt  earth  from  a Chinese 
mud  stove. 

Fry,  add  one  rice  bowl  of  water ; give  gravy  to 
child.  Heat  will  be  sure  to  return  to  the  body  and 
the  child  will  be  well.” 

“Cholera  Morbus  (Infantile). 

Mostly  children  a year  or  a few  months  old.  At 
the  very  beginning  there  is  excessive  and  dangerous 
purging.  Death  in  one  day. 

Treatment. 

R— One  chicken  egg. 

Fry  in  one  piece ; put  on  pepper ; place  as  poultice 
on  the  navel  and  bind  closely. 

Then  take  : — Several  earthen  holes  of  toads. 

Recent  ginger,  several  roots. 

Fry ; pour  on  water  and  drink.  The  diarrhoea  will 
cease. 

If  you  cannot  get  toad  holes  take  a young  rooster 
just  learning  to  crow.  Kill,  take  out  entrails  and 
their  contents  ; put  with  them  fresh  ginger. 

One  piece  of  burnt  earth  from  a Chinese  mud 
stove ; place  in  a pan,  fry ; pour  on  water ; give 
gravy  to  child.  This  will  stop  the  purging.” 

75 


Opportunities 


“Cure  for  Eruptive  Fevers. 

R — Rhinoceros  horn  3 i boil 

Justicia  3 iv  boil 

Moss  (green)  one  handful 
Herbs  (fresh)  3 boil 

Press  out  juice ; add  above  juice,  add  honey  ; mix 

together  and  drink.” 


76 


Summary  of  Medical  Missionary  Work 


American  Baptist  Missionary  Union. 

Hanyang,  Hupeh,  H.  Suifu,  Szechuan  H.  D. 

Kityang,  Kwantung,  H.  D.  Swatovv,  Kwantung,  H.  2 D. 

Ningpo,  Chekiang,  H.  D. 


American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions. 


Pagoda  Anchorage,  Fuhkien, 
Foochow,  Fuhkien, 

Inghok,  Fuhkien, 

Shaowu,  Fuhkien, 

Pang  Chuang,  Shantung, 


H,  D. 
2 H.  2 D. 

H.  D. 


medical  work 
medical  work 


American  Friends'  Foreign  Missions. 
Nanking,  Kiangsu,  H.  3 D. 


Friends'  Foreign  Missionary  Association,  English. 


Chun-king 

D.  Sae  Hung 

D. 

Baptists'  Conventioit,  Southern. 

Kwong-Ning 
Shiu  Hing 

D.  Ping-tu  Chefoo 

D. 

H.  2 D. 

Seventh  Day  Baptists,  American. 

Shanghai 

medical  work 

Baptist  Missionary  Society,  English. 
Chou-Ping  Id.  D.  Shensi 

Chu-Chou-fu  H.  D.  Hsin  Chow  H. 

Chou-tsun  D. 

4 D. 
2 D. 

77 


Opportunities 


Brethren's  Mission,  English. 

Lao  ho-keo  H.  D.  Kiu-Kiang  medical  work 

China  Inland  Mission , yanuary,  itpoo,  English. 


Kan-suh. 

Lu-ch’eng  2 O.  R. 

Lanchau 

I 

D. 

U-wu  3 0.  R. 

Ts’in-ctiau 

I 

I). 

Kiang-cliau  1 0.  R. 

P’ing-liang 

I 

D. 

Chen-yuen  1 Opium  Refuges 

Chih-li. 

Hwuy-luh  1 D. 

Shen-si. 

Chau-ch’ih 

I 

0. 

R. 

Shan-tung. 

Sang  kia-chuang 

I 

O. 

R. 

Chefoo  1 H. 

Hsing-p’ing 

I 

0. 

R. 

1 D. 

Si-an 

I 

0. 

R. 

Ning-hai  1 D. 

Fung-chau 

I 

D. 

I 

O. 

R. 

Ho-nan. 

Ch’eng-ku 

I 

D. 

Tai-kang  1 D. 

Shan- 

■si. 

Si-chuan. 

Ta-t’ung 

I 

D. 

Kia-ting  1 D. 

1 

0. 

R. 

Pao-ning  1 IP. 

Hsiao-I 

1 

O. 

R. 

Sui-ling  1 D. 

Kiai-hsiu 

1 

0. 

R. 

Sih-chau 

I 

D. 

Gan-hwuy. 

Ta-ning 

2 

3 

0. 

0. 

R. 

R. 

Gan-king  1 D. 

Kili-cheo 

1 

O. 

R. 

Ho-tsin 

1 

0. 

R. 

A lang-su. 

Hoh-chau 

2 

0. 

R. 

Chin-kiang  1 H. 

Hung-T’ung 

1 1 

0. 

R. 

Yoh-yang 

2 

0. 

R. 

Kiang-si. 

P’ing-yang 

2 

H. 

Kih-gan  1 0.  R. 

2 

0. 

R. 

1 

D. 

Cheh-kiang. 

K’uh-wu 

1 

0. 

R. 

T’ai-chau  1 PI. 

Yun-ch’eng 

1 

D. 

Wun  chau  1 D. 

1 

0. 

R. 

Bing-yae  1 D. 

I-slii 

3 

0. 

R. 

1 O.  R. 

Totals:  18  D. 

6 H. 

46  0.  R. 


78 


Summary  of  Medical  Missionary  Work 


Church  Missionary  Society,  English. 


Pakhoi 

Hangchow 

Fulming 

Hok-chiang 


PI.  D. 
2 H.  2 D. 
H.  2 D. 
H.  D. 


Kien-ning  2 H. 
Hing-hvva  H. 

Ningpo  H.  2 D. 

Mincheo,  Szechuan,  D. 


Church  of  England  Zenana  Llissionary  Society. 


Foochow  H. 


Church  of  Scotland  Mission. 
Ichang  D. 

London  Missionary  Society. 


Ch’so  Yang, 

Mongolia,  D. 

Yen  San 

D. 

Hankow 

2 H.  2 D. 

Shanghai 

medical  woi 

Peking 

2 H.  D. 

Amoy 

H. 

D. 

Wuchang 

PI.  D. 

Chiang-chiu 

H. 

Chi-chou 

H.  D. 

Ya-chow  Hunan,  H. 

D. 

Tien-tsin 

H.  3 D. 

King-shan 

H. 

D. 

Hiau  Kan 

H. 

Chungking 

PI. 

D. 

Methodist  Free  Church,  English. 

Ningpo  medical  work  Wenchow  medical  work 


Methodist  Episcopal  Missionary  Society. 


Peking,  Chihli,  H. 

Suichaufu,  Szechuan,  H.  2 D. 
Chunking,  Szechuan,  PI. 
Chentu,  Szechuan,  H. 
Foochow,  Fuhkien,  H. 
Nanking,  Kiangsu,  2 H. 
Wuhu,  Nganhui,  H. 


Women's  Societies. 


Peking,  Chihli, 

IP. 

Tien-tsin,  Chihii, 

H. 

Tsunhua,  Chihli, 

H. 

Chinkiang,  Kiangsu, 

H. 

Kiukiang,  Kiangsu, 

H. 

Foochow,  Fuhkien, 

H.  D. 

Chunking,  Szechuan, 

H.  D. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South. 
Soochow,  Kiangsu,  H.  D. 

Methodist  New  Connexion  Society. 

H. 


Chua-chia 
K’ai  Ping 


medical  work. 
79 


Opportunities 


Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  Norik. 


reking 

Paotingfu 

Chefoo 

Chinanfu 

Tsing  Tau 
Tung  Chow 
Wei  Hsien 


Ichowfu 
Chining  Chow 
Soochow 

Siang  Tan,  Hunan, 

Wei  Yuen,  Hunan 
Canton 


Founded 

An  Ting  H.  4 D,  1874 

John  M.  Inglis,  M.  D. 
Woman’s  H.  1888 

Eliza  E.  Leonard,  M.  D. 

H.  2 D.  1896 
Maud  A.  Mackey,  M.  D. 

D 

Effie  B.  Cooper,  M.  D. 

Mrs.  Hunter  Corbett,  M.  D. 
Mcllvaine  H.  D.  1892 

James  B.  Neal,  M.  D. 

Mary  L.  Burnham,  M.  D. 
H.  D. 

Charles  Lewis,  M.  D. 

H.  D. 


W.  F.  Seymour,  M.  D. 

H.  D.  1884 
W.  R.  Faries,  M.  D. 

Mateer  H.  D.  1884 

Mrs.  R.  M.  Mateer,  M.  D. 
Edna  B.  Parks,  M.  D. 

2 H.  2 D.  1890 
C.  F.  Johnson,  M.  D. 
Emma  E.  Fleming,  M.  D. 
Hunter  H.  D.  1S94 

Charles  Lyon,  M.  D. 

Rose  Bachman  H.  D.  1895 

Tooker  Mem.  H.  D.  1897 

Frances  F.  Cattell,  M.  D. 
Mary  E.  Fitch,  M.  D. 

1900 

Fred.  J.  Tooker,  M.  D. 
Leila  L.  Doolittle,  M.  D. 
Harry  W.  Boyd,  M.  D. 

1902 

Samuel  Cochran,  M.  D. 
Stephen  C.  Lewis,  M.  D. 

H.  5 D.  1835 
J.  M.  Swan,  M.  D. 

Paul  J.  Todd,  M.  D. 

So 


Summary  of  Medical  Missionary  Work 


Lien  Chow 


Woman’s  H.  1901 

Mary  W.  Niles,  M.  D. 
Mary  H.  Fulton,  M.  D. 
Mrs.  J.  J.  Boggs,  M.  D. 

H.  D.  1897 
E.  C.  Machle,  M.  D. 
Woman’s  Ii.  1901 

Eleanor  Chestnut,  M.  D. 


Sam-kong 

Yeung-kong 

Nodoa,  Hainan,  Henry  Mem. 
Hoihow 


Kacheck 


D. 

H.  1893 

H.  W.  Dobson,  M.  D. 

H.  D.  1896 
E.  D.  Vanderburgh,  M.  D. 

H.  D.  1885 
M.  McCandliss,  M.  D. 

1901 

Sidney  L.  Lasell,  M.  D. 

Herman  Bryan,  M.  D.,  assigned  to  Hainan,  1902. 


Presbyterian  Church,  South. 


Soochow 
Kiang  Yiu 
Tsing  Kiang  Pu 
Su  Chieu 


H. 

medical  work 
medical  work 
medical  work 


Chu-chow-fu 

Kiahing 


D. 


Presbyterian  Church  of  Canada. 

Hsincheu  medical  work  Formosa 

Chang  Ye  medical  work 


Presbyterian  Church  of  England. 


Taiwanfu,  Formosa, 

medical  work 

Chianghoa  “ 

H. 

Chao-chow-fu 

H. 

Eng-chhun 

medical  work 

Swatow 

H. 

Chang-poo 

H. 

Wukingfu 

H. 

Chinch  ew,  Amoy, 

H. 

Jin-jow,  Manchuria, 

medical  work 

Kwancheng-tzu 

medical  work 

Kirin 

medical  work 

81 


H. 


Opportunities 


Presbyterian  Church  of  Ireland. 

Kirin  H.  Chinchow  II. 

Kwangning  H. 

Protestant  Episcopal  Missionary  Society. 

Shanghai  2 H.  3 D.  Wuchang  2 H.  2 D. 

Ngan-kin  medical  work 

Reformed  Church  in  America,  Dutch. 

Kolongsu  2 H.  Amoy  D. 

Sio-Khe  H. 

Rhenish  Missionary  Society. 

Tung-kun,  Canton,  II. 

Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel,  English. 
Peking  medical  work 

Societe  des  Missions  Evangeliques  de  Bale. 

Kayin-tschu  Id.  D. 

Swedish  Mission  Union. 

Shasi,  Hupeh,  D. 

Tai-  Yuen-Fu  Medical  Society. 

Tai-yuen-fu  medical  work 

United  Presbyterian  Church,  Scotland. 

I.iaoyang,  Manchuria,  2 H.  2 D. 

Moukden,  Manchuria,  2 H.  2D. 

Kaiyuan,  Manchuria,  D. 

Wesleyan  Missionary  Society,  English. 

Hangkow  2 H.  2D.  Fatshan  H.  D. 

Wuchang  3 D. 

Woman's  Union  Missionary  Society, 

Shanghai  H. 


82 


READY  TO  RETURN  FROM  THE  MISSION  MEETING,  LAKAWN,  LAOS. 


CHAPTER  IV 


SIAM  AND  LAOS 

The  Siamese  Twins  came  to  our  country  in  1829. 
The  American  trading  vessel  that  brought  them,  car- 
ried also  an  earnest  appeal  for  aid  in  evangelizing  the 
land  of  their  birth,  a land  then  almost  unknown. 
Dr.  Karl  Gutzlaff,  the  famous  German  missionary,  had 
visited  Bangkok  with  Rev.  Mr.  Tomlin  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society  in  1828.  They  found  an  open 
door,  a large,  inviting  field.  Dr.  Gutzlaff  treated 
thousands  of  patients,  and  twenty-five  boxes  of  books 
and  tracts  in  Chinese  were  distributed  in  two  months. 
Nearly  three  years  were  spent  here,  but  as  their  home 
societies  did  not  encourage  them  an  appeal  was  sent  to 
America. 

It  was  not  till  1835  that  permanent  work  was  begun. 
The  American  Board  sent  Daniel  B.  Bradley,  M.  D., 
and  his  wife,  and  the  Baptist  Board  sent  Rev.  William 
Dean  and  his  wife  to  the  Chinese  in  Siam.  They 
were  one  year  in  reaching  their  field. 

Dr.  Bradley  soon  opened  a dispensary,  and  his 
medical  aid  was  eagerly  sought.  There  was  free  ac- 
cess to  the  people  in  their  homes.  His  zeal,  faith  and 
energy  never  flagged,  despite  illness,  tropical  heat  and 
discouragements.  For  thirty-eight  years,  till  his  death 
in  June,  1873,  medical  work,  preaching,  printing, 

S3 


Opportunities 


writing  and  translating  never  ceased.  In  1840  he  in- 
troduced vaccination  into  Siam,  a great  boon,  for 
smallpox  often  made  terrible  ravages  among  the  peo- 
ple. Of  his  children  and  grandchildren  six  have  had 
a share  in  mission  work  in  Siam.  Mrs.  Cheek  and 
Mrs.  McGilvary  of  Laos  are  his  daughters. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  work  a Buddhist  priest  said 
to  Dr.  Bradley:  “Have  you  come  with  your  chisel  to 
undermine  our  great  mountain  of  Buddhism  ? ” 

When,  during  an  epidemic  of  cholera,  800  people 
were  dying  daily  in  Bangkok,  this  faithful  worker 
ministered  to  the  sick  and  their  friends.  In  1837  he 
performed  the  first  amputation  in  Siam,  removing  the 
arm  of  a Buddhist  priest ; and  later  a nobleman  re- 
ceived sight  by  an  operation  for  cataract.  These  op- 
erations and  others  were  deemed  miraculous  by  the 
Siamese,  and  were  welcomed  by  all  classes,  and  thus 
prejudice  was  broken  down  and  the  way  prepared  for 
the  gospel. 

China  being  opened  for  missionary  work  the  Amer- 
ican Board  withdrew,  but  Dr.  Bradley  was  unwilling 
to  give  up  work  in  Siam  and  the  American  Missionary 
Society  supported  him.  Later  on,  when  other  medical 
assistance  was  within  reach  he  gave  his  whole  time  to 
preaching,  translating  the  Bible  and  printing  tracts. 
From  the  year  1857  until  his  death,  he  supported  him- 
self entirely  by  means  of  the  printing  press. 

When  Dr.  Bradley  left  for  a visit  to  the  United 
States  in  1847  his  ship  passed  the  vessel  in  which  were 
Rev.  Stephen  Matoon,  Mrs.  Matoon,  and  Samuel  R. 
House,  M.  D.,  on  their  way  to  take  up  the  work  of 
84 


Siam  and  Laos 


the  Presbyterian  Board.  They  had  sailed  from  New 
York  in  the  ship  Grafton  for  China,  arriving  at  Macao, 
after  five  months,  on  Christmas  day.  No  other  op- 
portunity presenting  itself,  they  were  obliged  to  leave 
for  Bangkok  by  way  of  Singapore.  There  they  were 
most  kindly  entertained  by  the  Rev.  B.  P.  Keasberry 
of  the  London  Missionary  Society.  In  the  harbor 
was  a native  built  trading  ship  belonging  to  the  king 
of  Siam,  commanded  by  a European,  on  which  they 
secured  passage,  and  in  twenty-eight  days,  after  a 
tedious  voyage,  they  reached  Bangkok  March  22, 
1847,  eight  months  after  leaving  New  York.  To-day 
six  or  seven  weeks  only  are  required  for  the  journey. 

The  tidings  of  a new  foreign  physician  spread,  and 
patients  of  every  kind  and  of  all  classes  crowded  to 
him  for  relief.  Dr.  House  was  compelled  to  reopen 
the  dispensary  which  Dr.  Bradley  had  for  a long  time 
conducted  in  a floating-house  moored  in  front  of  the 
missionary  premises. 

Pestilence  burst  like  a thunderbolt  on  Bangkok  in 
1849.  In  one  month  fully  35,000,  or  about  one-tenth 
of  its  population,  were  destroyed.  There  were  2,000 
deaths  in  twenty-four  hours  when  this  epidemic  of 
Asiatic  cholera  was  at  its  height.  The  mission  fam- 
ilies were  all  graciously  spared.  For  thirty  years 
Bangkok  had  been  free  from  cholera,  and  then  as 
Dr.  House  wrote  in  “ Siam  and  Laos  ” : “ Go  where 

you  would  in  the  streets  you  would  meet  men  carry- 
ing their  dead  slung  from  a bamboo  borne  on  the 
shoulders  of  two  of  them ; hundreds  of  corpses  were 
thrown  into  the  river  and  heaps  on  heaps  were  piled 

85 


Opportunities 


up  like  logs  and  burned  to  get  them  out  of  the 
way. 

“ I need  not  say  that  the  Siamese  were  very  much 
frightened  when  this  dreadful  disease  broke  out  among 
them.  They  saw  their  friends  and  neighbors  sicken 
and  die  in  an  hour  on  their  right  hand  and  left  in  almost 
every  house,  and  each  one  feared  it  might  be  his  turn 
next.  But  where  did  they  look  for  help  ? Did  the  king 
proclaim  a fast  day,  think  you?  and  the  people  repent 
of  their  many  sins,  and  pray  to  God  to  have  mercy 
on  them  ? Alas  ! God  was  not  in  the  thought  of  this 
people  at  all.  Their  religion  teaches  them  there  is  no 
God ; no  creator  who  made  the  world ; the  world 
made  itself,  they  say;  ‘ It  always  was.’  The  god  they 
do  worship,  Buddha,  whose  images  are  in  every  tem- 
ple, was  nothing  but  a mere  man  like  themselves ; 
and,  now  he  has  left  the  world,  knows  nothing,  cares 
nothing  about  it,  or  indeed  about  anything  else. 

“ The  common  notion  about  the  pestilence  was,  that 
an  army  of  wicked  spirits  had  come  invisibly  to  carry 
off  mankind,  to  make  them  their  servants  in  the  un- 
seen world.  Oh,  how  anxious  they  were  to  make 
these  spirits  of  the  air  their  friends  ! So  the  people 
made  various  offerings  in  order  to  conciliate  the  good- 
will of  these  spirits  of  the  air. 

“ It  was  a common  practice  in  those  days  to  form  a 
little  square  tray  from  pieces  of  the  plantain-tree,  and, 
placing  the  offerings  thereupon,  leave  them  by  the  side 
of  the  street,  where  the  spirits  would  find  them  ; or 
else,  placing  them  on  the  water,  let  them  float  down 
the  stream.  The  river  and  the  land  were  full  of  them. 

86 


Siam  and  Laos 


“Coming  home  one  night,  I stumbled  over  one  in 
my  path,  and,  having  a lantern,  stopped  to  examine 
it.  On  the  rude  tray,  which  was  about  a foot  square, 
were  strewed  rice,  some  coarse  salt  tied  up  in  a little 
rag,  some  fresh  flowers,  betel-nuts,  sliced  plantain, 
the  end  of  a torch  and  two  rough  images  of  clay 
representing  a man  and  a woman,  each  with  a dirty 
shred  of  cloth  about  it.  The  object  in  making  the 
images  was  that  the  spirit  might  accept  them  for  their 
servants  instead  of  the  persons  who  offered  them. 
The  invisible  spirit  never  carried  off  any  of  these 
dainty  gifts,  but  I have  seen  sensible  looking  dogs 
helping  themselves  freely  to  the  rice  and  whatever 
else  was  eatable. 

“Some  would  take  great  pains  to  make  perfect 
little  models  of  a Chinese  junk,  painted  gaily,  and  fit 
them  out  with  little  red  and  white  banners,  wax  tapers, 
fruit  and  flowers.  These  boats  contained  as  passen- 
gers clay  images  of  men,  women  and  children,  and  at 
dusk  the  tapers  were  lighted  and  the  little  vessels 
launched  on  the  river  as  an  offering  to  the  spirits,  to 
be  borne  away  on  the  tide.  Many  charms  were  also 
used  to  keep  off  the  evil  spirits  that  bring  disease. 
They  consisted  of  strips  of  paper  with  various  squares 
and  marks  upon  them,  sewed  up  in  bits  of  red  cloth 
or  leather  of  a three-cornered  shape. 

“But  by  far  the  most  common  practice  as  a pre- 
ventive of  cholera,  was  wearing  a few  strands  of 
cotton  yarn  about  the  neck  or  wrist.  Go  where  you 
would,  in  the  market  or  along  the  riverside,  nearly 
all  women  and  children  wore  this  white  string.  I 
87 


Opportunities 


have  been  in  the  houses  of  noblemen  where  one  had 
just  been  taken  sick,  when  all  the  women  of  the 
family  were  busy  dividing  a hank  of  cotton  yarn  into 
portions  and  tying  them  around  the  wrists  or  necks  of 
themselves  and  their  children  with  as  much  earnest- 
ness as  if  their  lives  depended  on  it.  Often  in  trying 
to  feel  for  the  pulse  of  some  poor  dying  creature  have 
I pushed  this  cotton  thread  away  to  get  at  the  wrist. 

“Many  houses  were  entirely  encircled  by  a long 
cotton  cord  with  bits  of  written  paper  fastened  to  it 
here  and  there.  The  outer  palace  walls,  more  than  a 
mile  in  circumference,  were  thus  girt  around,  the  cord 
looped  up  from  the  battlements  every  few  rods.  But 
Death  crossed  the  enchanted  line,  if  the  spirits  did 
not,  and  hundreds  of  the  king’s  large  household  were 
swept  away. 

“ The  pestilence  had  not  been  prevailing  long  be- 
fore the  Chinese  in  the  city,  at  their  houses  on  land 
and  at  every  floating  house  for  miles  along  the  river 
and  canals,  had  tall  bamboo  poles  put  up,  with  cords 
attached  by  which  a little  lantern  could  be  raised  to 
the  top.  After  dark,  when  all  these  were  lighted, 
they  gave  the  city  a beautiful  appearance.  This  fool- 
ish waste  of  oil  was  kept  up  all  night  for  weeks  and 
months.  Besides  this,  the  Chinese  tried  to  get  the 
favor  of  their  gods  by  the  firing  of  crackers,  by  boat- 
races  and  processions  on  land  and  water. 

“ There  were  other  spirits,  besides  those  that  had 
caused  the  pestilence,  that  the  Siamese  treated  with 
great  respect  during  those  days.  Before  or  near  almost 
every  house,  raised  on  a single  pole  about  as  high  as 
88 


Siam  and  Laos 


one’s  head,  stood  a little  wooden  house,  having  one 
small  room  opening  on  a little  porch.  In  this  porch 
and  room  you  would  always  find  a quantity  of  offer- 
ings— such  curious  ones,  too,  that  you  would  be  more 
sure  than  ever  it  was  a dolls’  playhouse;  yet  the 
grown  up  members  of  the  family  had  built  them  to 
secure  the  good-will  of  the  spirits  guarding  the  spot 
occupied  by  their  dwelling. 

‘•'A  piece  of  board  shaped  something  like  the  head 
of  a spear,  slips  of  cloth  covered  with  written  char- 
acters, little  clay  images  of  elephants,  horses,  men 
and  women,  rice,  betel-nut,  tobacco  and  flowers, — 
these  would  be  offered,  in  addition  to  the  wax  tapers 
kept  burning  and  food  set  out,  if  any  of  the  family 
were  sick. 

“ The  worshiping  of  these  spirits  is  a kind  of  super- 
stition that  appears  to  have  been  handed  down  by  the 
forefathers  of  the  Siamese  from  the  ancient  times  be- 
fore the  Buddhist  religion,  which  throws  no  light  upon 
it,  was  introduced  into  their  country.  As  the  people 
believe  that  these  spirits  can  protect  them  from  sick- 
ness during  cholera-times,  the  offering-houses  are  well 
supplied,  and  the  little  spirits  (had  there  been  any) 
would  not  have  lacked  tobacco,  betel,  food  and  cloth- 
ing, or  clay  horses  to  ride. 

“The  temples  of  the  idols  and  priests  were  not  for- 
gotten in  those  days.  The  preaching-places  were 
filled  with  hearers,  presents  were  made  in  abundance 
to  the  priests  and  there  was  much  bowing  to  idols. 
One  great  man  was  sure  that  he  could  not  die  of 
cholera  because  he  had  gained  so  much  merit  by  pay- 
89 


Opportunities 


ing  the  expenses  of  making  a number  of  new  priests — 
some  three  or  four  hundred  ticals ; but  he  too  was 
taken  away  by  the  fatal  disease.  Priests  were  in  de- 
mand also  to  chant  prayers  over  the  dying  that  they 
might  be  happy  in  the  next  life.  I was  much  affected 
by  seeing  a poor  mother  trying  to  comfort  her  son,  a 
young  man  stricken  down  by  disease  and  fast  sinking. 
She  told  him  to  think  of  the  favor  of  his  god,  and 
then  putting  his  hands  together  with  his  palms  touch- 
ing, as  he  was  too  far  gone  to  raise  them  himself,  lifted 
them  for  him  above  his  head,  as  is  done  in  the  wor- 
ship of  Buddha.  And  so  this  life  went  out  as  thou- 
sands upon  thousands  have  since  gone,  in  blind 
groping  after  its  god ; and  this  mother  was  left  as 
many  mothers  in  that  land  have  been  left,  without  one 
ray  of  hope  or  light  beyond  the  borderland  which  the 
spirit  of  her  dear  one  has  passed.” 

The  whole  time  of  this  missionary  doctor  was 
passed  in  attendance  on  the  sick  and  dying,  in  prin- 
ces’ palaces  and  in  bamboo  huts.  Many  lives  were 
saved  and  many  lifelong  friends  secured  to  him  and 
his  religion.  Of  all  those  perishing  thousands,  only 
one  man  died  in  hope  of  Christ — an  old  man  from  a 
far-distant,  up-country  home,  who  was  converted 
simply  from  reading  Christian  tracts,  without  seeing 
the  living  teacher.  He  reached  Bangkok,  to  become 
one  of  the  earliest  victims.  He  died  without  fear. 

No  work  in  Siam  is  more  appreciated,  more  suc- 
cessful in  winning  favor,  in  disarming  the  prejudices 
of  the  people,  and  in  direct  evangelization  than  this 
medical  mission  work. 


90 


Siam  and  Laos 


The  Siamese  believe  that  nature  is  made  up  of 
earth,  fire,  wind,  water.  The  human  body  is  com- 
posed of  the  same  elements,  divided  by  them  into 
two  classes,  the  visible  and  invisible.  The  bones, 
flesh,  blood,  etc.,  belong  to  the  first;  to  the  second, 
wind  and  fire. 

Twenty  kinds  of  earth  compose  the  body  ; with 
twelve  kinds  of  water,  six  kinds  of  wind,  and  four 
kinds  of  fire.  Of  winds,  the  first  kind  passes  from 
the  head  to  the  feet ; the  second  from  the  feet  to  the 
head ; the  third  resides  above  the  diaphragm ; the 
fourth  forms  the  pulse,  circulating  in  the  arteries ; the 
fifth  enters  the  lungs;  and  the  sixth  resides  in  the  in- 
testines. The  four  kinds  of  fire  are — first,  that  which 
gives  the  body  its  natural  temperature ; the  second, 
that  which  causes  a higher  temperature,  as  after  exer- 
cise or  in  fevers;  the  third  variety  causes  digestion, 
and  the  fourth,  old  age.  The  Siamese  divide  the 
body  into  thirty-two  parts,  the  skin,  lungs,  heart,  etc. 
The  body  is  subject  to  ninety-six  diseases,  due  to  the 
disarrangement  of  the  earth,  wind,  fire  and  water. 
Thus,  if  there  is  an  undue  proportion  of  fire  we  have 
one  of  the  fevers.  Dropsies  are  caused  by  too  great  a 
proportion  of  water,  and  wind  causes  all  manner  of 
complaints.  Nine  out  of  ten  natives  when  asked  what 
is  the  matter  with  them,  answer  “ Pen  lom  ” (wind). 

Health  or  disease  is  caused  by  the  external  elements 
acting  on  the  bodily  elements.  The  hot  season  is  be- 
lieved to  make  us  more  liable  to  fevers,  and  the  wet 
season  causes  dropsy.  Earth  is  supposed  to  produce 
disease  by  invisible  and  impalpable  mists  and  vapors. 

9i 


Opportunities 


Spirits,  as  narrated  above,  have  great  power  over 
the  body,  deranging  the  elements  and  producing  all 
manner  of  disease.  The  minds  of  the  natives  are 
thus  held  in  continual  bondage  for  fear  of  the  spirits, 
for  no  one  knows  what  great  sins  he  may  have  com- 
mitted in  a previous  state  of  existence  for  which  he 
may  be  called  to  suffer  at  any  time.  Thus  the  people 
are  constantly  endeavoring  to  propitiate  the  spirits  by 
presents,  incantations,  etc. 

In  the  time  of  Buddha  lived  one,  who  is  still 
worshiped  as  the  Father  of  medicine.  To  him  it  is 
said  the  plants  all  spoke,  telling  their  names  and 
medical  properties.  These  were  written  in  books  and 
have  become  sacred.  If  they  fail  to  produce  the 
effects  attributed  to  them,  the  fault  is  never  theirs  but 
is  due  to  the  absence  of  merit  in  the  patient  or  doctor. 
The  natives  use  almost  everything  as  medicine ; the 
skins  and  bones  of  various  animals  occupy  a large 
part  of  their  pharmacopoeia,  while  the  galls  of  snakes, 
tigers,  lizards,  etc.,  are  among  the  most  valuable  of 
their  medicines.  Many  of  the  Siamese  remedies  are 
very  complicated,  being  composed  of  scores  of  differ- 
ent ingredients. 

The  following  is  a characteristic  prescription  for  the 
bite  of  a snake  : portions  of  the  jaws  of  a wild  hog, 
of  a tame  hog,  of  a goat ; of  a goose-bone,  of  a pea- 
cock-bone ; of  the  tail  of  a fish ; of  the  head  of  a 
venomous  snake.  Duly  compounded,  these  form  a 
popular  remedy  when  the  venom  has  caused  lock-jaw. 
Many  other  remedies  are  equally  marvelous. 

Every  native  physician  has  an  image  of  the  Father 
92 


Siam  and  Laos 


of  medicine  in  his  house.  The  drugs  are  placed  in 
this  idol’s  hand  and  receive  his  blessing ; afterwards 
they  are  taken  to  the  patient’s  house  and  boiled  in 
earthen  pots,  a wicker  work  star  being  placed  above 
and  below  the  drugs  to  give  the  medicine  strength. 
The  patient  is  usually  obliged  to  swallow  many  potfuls 
of  medicine,  each  pot  containing  two  or  three  quarts. 
If  the  patient  dies  the  doctor  gets  no  fee. 

Thus  Dr.  E.  A.  Sturge,  who  founded  the  Petcha- 
buree  Hospital,  describes  the  Siamese  theory  and  prac- 
tice of  medicine. 

“ China  was  the  only  nation  permitted  to  have  free 
intercourse  with  Siam,  and  no  property  could  be 
bought  for  the  Mission  till  the  death  of  the  king  in 
1851.  After  this  a good  site  was  secured  and  the 
first  zenana  teaching  ever  attempted  in  the  East  be- 
gan in  1 85 1,  among  twenty-one  of  the  thirty  young 
wives  of  the  king  and  several  of  his  royal  sisters; 
Mrs.  Bradley  being  one  of  the  three  missionaries  to 
begin  this  work.  It  was  not  till  1859  that  the  first 
convert  was  baptized.  On  August  7th  of  that  year 
Nai  Chune  was  baptized  and  received  into  church 
fellowship.  Petchaburee  was  occupied  as  a station  in 
1861,  and  the  first  hospital  in  Siam  was  erected  there 
in  1862.” 

Our  medical  work  has  so  impressed  the  Siamese 
that  they  are  taking  it  up  themselves.  In  1881,  a 
native  nobleman  built  a hospital  for  sixty  patients  at 
Bangkok,  and  gave  it  for  public  use.  The  doctor  in 
charge  has  been  Dr.  Tien  Hee,  a graduate  of  our 
Bangkok  mission  boarding-school,  and  of  the  medical 
93 


Opportunities 


school  of  New  York  University.  The  king  has  built 
three  hospitals,  one  insane  asylum,  and  a medical  col- 
lege. He  called  to  take  charge  of  these  Dr.  T.  H. 
Hayes,  an  earnest  man,  “who  always  carries  in  his 
heart  strong  desires  for  the  uplifting  of  Siam’s  peo- 
ple.” He  had  attended  a son  of  the  king  and  queen 
and  touched  their  hearts  by  his  skill. 

The  first  queen  gave  a donation  of  1,600  ticals  to 
the  Petchaburee  Hospital  in  1S95.  Fifteen  years  ago 
a native  of  Nakawn  heard  of  the  fame  of  an  English 
physician  at  Bangkok,  and  with  his  wife  set  out  in  a 
little  sailboat  in  quest  of  healing.  Adverse  winds 
drove  them  into  the  Petchaburee  River.  Here  they 
met  a native  Christian  who  asked  them  “ Why  go  to 
Bangkok  ? There  is  a good  missionary  at  Petchaburee 
who  will  gladly  care  for  you.”  The  sick  man  was 
welcomed  at  the  hospital,  and  not  only  was  he  healed 
there,  but  he  and  his  wife  were  both  converted.  They 
spent  nearly  a year  in  learning  of  our  Saviour  and 
then  returned  to  their  native  province  to  proclaim  the 
glad  tidings.  Before  long,  several  whom  they  in- 
structed had  journeyed  to  Bangkok  and  Petchaburee 
to  unite  with  our  churches  there.  In  1898,  a church 
of  sixty-five  members  was  at  Nakawn.  “Though  the 
climate  of  Nakawn  is  healthful,  the  mass  of  the  peo- 
ple are  the  most  wretchedly  sickly  to  be  found  in 
Siam.  This  is  due  mainly  to  the  sinful  lives  of  the 
people,  and  their  ignorance  of  the  laws  of  health, 
sanitary  arrangements,  and  diet. 

“ In  time  of  pestilence  among  the  cattle,  they  eat  the 
flesh  of  animals  which  have  died  of  disease.  They 
94 


Siam  and  Laos 


throw  the  carcasses  of  dead  animals  into  the  stream 
above  the  city  from  which  many  of  the  people  have  to 
draw  their  supply  of  drinking  water.  They  eat  the 
flesh  of  animals  which  are  scavengers  among  the  dead. 
The  natural  result  is  that  they  are  subject  to  horrible 
sores,  and  many  of  them  seem  to  be  a mass  of  loath- 
some disease.” 

Dr.  Sturge  was  then  at  Petchaburee,  where  he 
gained  a reputation  of  which  any  man  might  be  proud. 
The  natives  still  wait  and  pray  for  his  return,  but  ill- 
health  compelled  him  to  go  to  California,  where  he 
and  his  wife  now  labor  among  the  Japanese. 

The  King  of  Siam  “lends”  the  Rajaburee  Mission 
their  property  on  condition  that  “ the  borrowers  promise 
to  establish  schools  and  a hospital  for  the  purpose  of 
permanently  carrying  on  educational  and  medical  mis- 
sionary work.” 

Dr.  Walter  B.  Toy  had  a few  eminently  successful 
years  at  Petchaburee,  going  afterwards  to  Bangkok  to 
undertake  medical  itineration  on  the  thickly  populated 
rivers  of  Lower  Siam,  his  station  now  being  Pitsanu- 
loke.  Dr.  J.  B.  Thompson  succeeded  him  at  Petch- 
aburee, but  he  was  called  to  his  reward  after  but  one 
day’s  illness  in  March,  1897. 

Dr.  Thompson  had  treated  five  thousand  patients 
annually,  and  every  one  of  them  heard  of  Christ. 
“Though  dead  he  yet  speaketh  ” in  those  whom  he 
trained  for  his  Lord. 

Nai  Dtoi,  who  had  been  trained  by  Dr.  Toy,  and 
had  been  assistant  since  1891,  took  charge  of  the 
work  at  Dr.  Thompson’s  death. 

95 


Opportunities 


Dr.  Swart  arrived  November  17,  1898,  and  in  a 
month  and  a half  had  five  in-patients  at  the  hospitals. 
Three  of  them  were  serious  stab  wounds,  each  the  re- 
sult of  the  same  evil  that  causes  so  much  misery  in 
the  home  land — drink.  Calls  had  also  come  from 

patients  outside  the  hospital. 

At  first,  beds  in  the  Petchaburee  Hospital  consisted 
of  three  or  four  boards  on  trestles,  spread  with  grass, 
with  a small  cotton  pillow.  Afterwards,  iron  bed- 
steads made  of  tubing,  cotton  mattresses,  pillows  and 
towels  were  introduced.  Twenty-five  dollars  will  fit 
up  a ward  for  two  persons.  A kitchen  was  desired 
that  the  diet  of  the  patients  might  be  controlled,  for 
the  train  of  relatives  who  accompany  each  patient  give 
him  anything  he  fancies  to  eat.  Now,  the  hospital 
plant  is  the  best  in  the  Mission.  There  are  excellent 
accommodations  for  twenty  in-patients ; the  separate 
woman’s  ward  has  eight  beds  and  room  for  a dozen. 

Medical  missionaries  are  not  quite  settled  on  the 
subject  of  fees.  Dr.  Wachter  of  Rajaburee  says : 
“ Any  case  of  emergency  brought  to  me  is  treated, 
and  the  question  of  pay  is  not  brought  up  until  the 
patient  is  about  to  leave.  Then  he  may  pay  me  the 
sum  I ask  or  may  not  pay  at  all,  or  pay  more  : all 
this  has  happened.  Children  and  old  people  as  a rule 
receive  treatment  at  half  rates  or  without  any  charge.” 
Siam  and  Laos  have  been  remarkable  for  the  tours 
of  our  missionaries.  The  first  of  these  was  made  by 
Dr.  House  in  1853,  partly  on  foot,  partly  on  elephant, 
a tour  of  great  interest  to  Korat,  an  important  inland 
town  over  in  the  great  valley  of  the  Cambodia  River, 
96 


Siam  and  Laos 


returning  by  Kabin.  No  white  man  had  ever  been 
seen  there  before.  He  also  paid  a visit  to  Laos 
partly  by  land,  and  on  his  way  thither  over  the  Laos 
Mountains  narrowly  escaped  death.  The  elephant  on 
which  he  had  been  riding  unexpectedly  turned  on 
him  and  striking  him  down  with  its  trunk,  wounded 
him  severely  with  his  tusks  while  trying  to  transfix 
him. 

The  tours  made  by  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Eugene  P.  Dun- 
lap have  been  remarkable.  Both  of  them  are  skillful 
in  medicine,  and  wherever  they  go  they  have  medical 
work  to  do.  On  a recent  tour  the  chief  commis' 
sioner  asked  them  to  take  charge  of  men  who  had 
been  taken  sick  while  engaged  on  public  works  prepar- 
atory to  a visit  of  the  king  at  Nakawn.  Dr.  Dun- 
lap prepared  a temporary  hospital  and  in  June  and 
July  treated  941  hospital  and  dispensary  patients. 
He  had  an  audience  with  the  king  who  said  among 
other  things:  “ I am  glad  you  are  here  working  for 

the  good  of  my  people,  and  I wish  you  success.” 

On  this  four  months’  tour  (which  is  a fair  specimen 
of  all)  they  traveled  “on  elephants,  numerous  canoes, 
nine  steamers,  four  Chinese  sailboats,  by  railroad,  and 
long  distances  on  foot.  They  lodged  in  hotels,  rest 
houses,  police  stations,  bamboo  huts,  governors’ 
mansions,  court-houses,  woodsheds,  warehouses,  and 
Chinese  theatres.  They  labored  in  two  Malay  states, 
two  islands  and  eight  provinces  and  sold  more  than 
7,000  portions  of  Scripture  and  Christian  books. 
They  were  kept  in  health  and  when  they  returned 
home,  feasted  on  three  months’  mail.”  In  January, 
97 


Opportunities 


1899,  Dr.  Dunlap  procured  a special  boat  for  touring; 
— the  Kalamazoo,  second  of  the  name.  It  is  a fine 
boat  built  of  teak  by  an  English  ship  captain  ; length 
sixty-three  feet,  beam  twelve  feet,  depth  of  hold  seven 
feet,  six  inches;  carries  three  sails.  The  boat  has 
comfortable  cabins  and  is  large  enough  for  work  all 
along  both  coasts  of  the  gulf.  It  is  about  three  times 
as  large  as  the  old  Kalamazoo,  which  was  given  by 
the  Sunday  schools  of  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  and  which 
after  a splendid  record  has  been  sold  to  Rev.  Dr. 
Adamsen  of  Bangkok,  so  that  it  will  continue  in 
mission  work. 

The  Laos  people,  settled  near  Petchaburee,  greatly 
interested  the  missionaries,  and  a tour  to  the  Laos  of 
the  North  was  made  in  1863.  Work  was  begun  at 
Chieng  Mai,  five  hundred  miles  from  Bangkok,  in 
1867.  The  journey  up  the  river,  owing  to  the  swift 
current  and  the  many  rapids,  requires  about  two 
months. 

The  Laos  boats  used  are  specially  built,  flat-bot- 
tomed, of  light  draught  and  about  fifty  feet  long. 
The  bow  and  stern  rise  in  a sharp,  narrow  curve.  In 
the  stern  is  a small  cabin  used  as  a bedroom  and  sit- 
ting room,  of  which  the  floor  can  be  taken  up  in  sec- 
tions so  that  clothing,  provisions,  and  bedding  can  be 
stored  beneath.  In  the  middle  third  of  the  boat  is  a 
covered  portion,  the  freight  department,  sometimes 
termed  a “cage  room.”  The  crew  have  bamboos 
about  fifteen  feet  long,  ending  in  an  iron  fork.  “They 
start  at  the  extreme  tip  of  the  prow,  plant  the  pole 
against  the  bottom  of  the  bank  and  walk  aft  with  it 
9§ 


Siam  and  Laos 


till  the  ‘ cage  room  ’ stops  them.  Then  they  balance 
the  pole  in  one  hand  high  over  the  head  so  as  to 
allow  the  man  following  to  pass  under  and  run  back 
again  to  the  tip  of  the  prow  to  repeat  the  same  thing. 
If  the  boat  sticks  in  the  sand  as  it  sometimes  does, 
the  polemen  have  to  dig  a channel  ; a broad,  wooden 
shovel  is  used  for  this  purpose.  One  man  passes  it 
down  while  another  drags  it  along  by  means  of  a 
rattan  cable,  fastened  to  the  blade.  When  several 
missionaries  travel  together,  one  boat  is  set  apart  as  a 
kitchen.  A halt  is  always  made  for  meals,  and  at 
night.  Night-time  is  most  picturesque,  for  on  the 
bow  of  each  boat  a fire  burns,  and  a huge  bonfire 
is  kindled  on  shore.” 

Hon.  Hamilton  King,  Minister  Resident  and  Con- 
sul-General of  the  United  States  to  Siam,  wrote  an 
article  in  the  Independetit  which  Rev.  A.  W.  Halsey, 
Secretary  of  the  Foreign  Board,  considered  so  impor- 
tant he  had  it  printed  in  leaflet  form,  “A  Visit  to  the 
North  Laos  Mission.”  In  this  Mr.  King  says: 

“From  the  first  the  medical  work  has  been  given  a 
prominent  place  and  has  proved  a valuable  auxiliary. 
When  the  Rev.  Daniel  McGilvary  first  went  to  this 
field  forty-three  years  ago  he  took  with  him  four 
bottles  of  quinine.  The  people  were  afraid  of  the 
white  man’s  medicines  and  believed  the  ills  of  the 
flesh  were  due  to  spirits  and  hence  could  be  cured 
only  by  offerings  made  to  the  spirits.  The  doctor 
hired  people  to  take  the  medicine  to  prove  to  them 
its  efficacy  in  fever,  which  is  the  prevailing  malady 
of  the  country.  In  a very  short  time  an  order  was 
99 


Opportunities 


sent  down  for  forty  bottles  more,  and  now  thousands 
and  thousands  of  rupees’  worth  of  quinine  are  sold 
in  Chieng  Mai  alone  every  year.  Vaccination, 
brought  into  Siam  by  Dr.  Bradley,  of  Bangkok,  about 
this  time,  was  soon  introduced  into  Chieng  Mai.  This 
proved  a success  from  the  first,  and  not  long  after- 
wards the  doctor  vaccinated  a whole  village  of  Karens 
of  163  persons,  from  a month  old  to  seventy-five 
years  of  age.  And  now  I am  told  that  the  majority 
of  this  generation  have  been  vaccinated  and  untold 
numbers  of  lives  have  been  saved  during  the  last 
third  of  a century. 

“ The  loathsome  disease  of  goitre  abounds  in  this 
country  and  to  the  north,  and  from  the  infancy  of  the 
mission  a splendid  work  has  been  done  in  alleviating 
the  sufferings  caused  by  this  disease.  Work  among 
the  lepers,  many  of  whom  are  also  found  in  this  coun- 
try, has  been  prosecuted  for  the  last  seven  years,  and, 
although  under  discouraging  circumstances  for  the 
want  of  money,  much  good  is  being  done.  For  many 
years  past  the  medical  work  has  enjoyed  the  favor  of 
the  rulers.  The  former  chief,  who  was  a veritable 
king,  showed  his  appreciation  of  the  work  in  many 
ways.  He  frequently  made  presents  of  horses,  bi- 
cycles, and  other  articles  for  the  use  of  the  physician. 
And  shortly  before  his  death  he  gave  Rs.  1,000  for 
the  work.  His  appreciation  of  and  confidence  in  the 
work  were  definitely  shown  in  that  the  physician  of 
the  mission  was  in  constant  attendance  upon  him  for 
two  or  three  years,  previous  and  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  and  his  sons,  who  are  now  reigning,  continue 
100 


Siam  and  Laos 


in  the  same  attitude.  A recent  move  to  enlarge  the 
present  mission  hospital  has  elicited  such  generous 
response  that  the  mission  is  encouraged  to  believe  that 
their  work  is  appreciated  by  all  classes  in  this  city. 
Two  English  timber  companies  and  one  Burmese 
company  have  donated  fifty  teak  logs  each,  and  a 
second  Burmese  company  has  given  ten.  The  Chi- 
nese citizens  of  Chieng  Mai  have  subscribed  and  paid 
in  Rs.  2,480.  The  Siamese  High  Commissioner  has 
headed  a subscription  list  (for  the  hospital)  which  is 
now  going  the  rounds  of  the  Laos  princes  and  Siamese 
officials.  The  Shans,  the  Tong  Su,  the  Burmese,  and 
the  Karens  of  Chieng  Mai  are  also  subscribing  money 
to  this  object.  The  Americans  and  European  resi- 
dents outside  the  mission  have  subscribed  Rs.  2,000 
for  the  new  hospital  addition,  and  the  missionary 
physician  has  free  access  to  every  home  in  Northern 
Siam,  from  the  hovel  of  the  beggar  to  the  palace  of 
the  highest  ruler. 

“ Naturally  this  work  appeals  to  the  people  of  all 
grades  and  has  a tendency  to  open  wide  the  door  to 
the  influences  and  the  principles  that  inspire  it.  At  a 
recent  banquet  given  in  honor  of  Prince  Damrong, 
Minister  of  the  Interior,  he  said,  in  a voice  to  be 
heard  by  all  present : 

“‘Mr.  King,  I want  to  say  to  you  that  we  have 
great  respect  for  your  American  missionaries  in  our 
country,  and  appreciate  very  highly  the  work  they 
are  doing  for  our  people.  I want  this  to  be  under- 
stood by  every  one,  and  if  you  are  in  a position  to  let 
it  be  known  to  your  countrymen  I wish  you  would  say 


101 


Opportunities 


this  for  me.  I have  just  now  more  especially  in  mind 
my  visit  to  Chieng  Mai.  The  work  of  your  people  is 
excellent.  I cannot  say  too  much  in  praise  of  the 
medical  missionaries  there  especially.’ 

“ And  what  is  being  done  in  Chieng  Mai  is  repeated, 
only  on  a smaller  scale,  at  all  the  other  stations.” 

Dr.  Vrooman  went  as  the  first  regular  doctor,  in 
1871,  but  was  able  to  stay  only  two  years  on  account 
of  ill  health.  Dr.  Cheek  came  in  1875  and  opened 
a dispensary.  “A  nice  shed  of  bamboo”  was  the 
first  hospital,  but  it  “ rendered  most  important  service 
to  the  whole  cause.  Only  a bamboo  shed  fifty  by  ten 
feet,  the  walls  of  basket-work  giving  ready  access  to 
rain,  wind  and  sunlight;  the  tile  roof  with  no  ceiling, 
so  that  the  heat  is  intense  by  day.  Bamboo  partitions 
separate  the  interior  into  five  small  rooms,  and  the 
floor  is  raised  on  poles  seven  feet  above  the  ground. 
The  only  furniture  is  a bamboo  joint  for  drinking 
water,  and  a broken  saucer  used  as  a lamp, — one  set 
for  a room.  Every  patient  brings  a spread  to  lie  on 
and  a few  rude  cooking  utensils.  When  the  five  little 
rooms  are  crowded,  temporary  sheds  covered  with 
grass  are  erected. 

“You  don’t  know  how  it  feels  when  a man  comes 
miles  and  miles,  perhaps  bringing  a sick  wife  or  child. 
You  cannot  turn  them  off,  so  you  plan  and  ‘squeeze’ 
to  make  one  poor  bit  of  shelter  more.  Or  possibly, 
just  on  the  point,  you  hope,  of  curing  some  poor 
woman  (perhaps  a mother  with  little  ones  dependent 
on  her),  the  benighted  relatives  neglect  your  orders, 
to  follow  their  own  savage  devices ; and  so  one  and 


102 


Siam  and  Laos 


another  life  goes  out  in  sin,  darkness  and  eternal 
death. 

“ There  is  another  side.  Probably  the  majority  of 
the  present  Laos  Church  members  became  acquainted 
with  Christianity  as  patients  or  from  those  who  had 
been  first  reached  in  this  way.  The  daily  toil  and 
heartache,  the  sleepless  nights  of  anxious  watching, 
the  discomforts  of  the  rude  hut  are  forgotten  in  the 
joy  of  souls  won  from  the  power  of  satan  for  Christ.” 

The  American  boys  and  girls  in  1884  were  asked  to 
form  a great  stock  company  and  take  shares  at  twenty- 
five  cents  apiece,  that  the  brick  building  planned  with 
facilities  and  rooms  to  meet  the  demand  might  be 
erected. 

Results  cannot  be  wholly  gratifying  under  such 
(bamboo)  circumstances,  despite  the  numbers  treated. 
Houses  are  located  and  built  in  violation  of  all  hygienic 
considerations.  When  a doctor  enters  “ a sick  cham- 
ber, he  finds  the  air  almost  suffocating,  and  must  con- 
duct his  examination  by  the  dim  light  of  a small  wax 
taper,  for  in  the  construction  of  a Laos  house  the 
principal  object  seems  to  be  the  utter  exclusion  of 
light,  there  being  no  doors  or  windows  except  the 
necessary  entrance.”  Native  nursing  seriously  com- 
promises any  favorable  tendencies.  The  inclinations 
of  the  patient,  or  opinions  of  nurses  or  friends,  amend 
all  the  physician’s  directions.  If  the  patient  is  sup- 
posed to  be  seriously  ill,  the  attendant  throng  of  vis- 
itors, relatives,  friends,  acquaintances,  disturb  by  a 
ceaseless  hum  of  voices.  Similar  cases,  marvelous 
cures,  melancholy  symptoms,  are  fully  discussed.  On 
103 


Opportunities 


a second  visit  to  a patient  the  medical  missionary  finds 
these  friends  devoutly  attending  to  the  reading  of  the 
Buddhist  scriptures  by  one  or  more  priests.  “ Long 
prayers  and  chants  are  rehearsed,  sacred  water  is 
sprinkled  over  the  patient,  offerings  of  flowers  and 
wax  tapers  are  made  to  the  household  spirits.  After 
this  ceremony,  which  lasts  for  several  hours,  the  pa- 
tient passes  into  the  hands  of  a native  doctor.” 

The  native  doctor  resembles  those  of  Siam,  having 
the  same  theory  and  practice  of  medicine.  He  may 
be  fortunate  enough  to  own  one  of  the  three  or  four 
books  treating  of  the  mysteries  of  vital  phenomena, 
with  their  invaluable  formulae.  The  owner  of  such  a 
book  is  held  in  high  repute  for  his  superior  learning, 
though  he  may  not  be  able  to  read  a line.  Spirits 
cause  most  of  their  disorders.  Rheumatism  is  said  to 
be  caused  by  a “swamp  spirit.”  When  a person  is 
thus  afflicted,  the  doctor  takes  an  ax  or  a large  knife 
and  draws  the  edge  along  the  affected  part,  without 
touching  it ; at  the  same  time  advising  the  spirit  to 
return  to  its  former  abode.  In  epileptic  fits  two  or 
more  men  stand  on  the  thighs  and  pelvis  of  the  suf- 
ferer and  so  prevent  the  spirit  from  entering  into  some 
vital  organ. 

Their  worst  superstition  is  the  belief  that  the  spirit, 
or  essence  of  one  living  person  may  enter  the  body  of 
another  and  inflict  serious  injuries,  or  even  destroy 
life.  Hysteria,  delirium  and  variation  of  surface 
temperature  indicate  the  presence  of  this  spirit,  who  is 
called  “Pee  K'a.”  “The  treatment  is  a specialty, 
and  the  doctors  who  understand  these  cases  gain  great 
104 


Siam  and  Laos 


notoriety,  and  are  sent  for  from  far  and  near  to  exor- 
cise the  spirits.” 

Dr.  Cheek,  who  writes  the  above,  once  witnessed  an 
exorcism.  Three  of  the  specialists  were  present. 
After  frequent  and  prolonged  draughts  of  arrack  (rice- 
whiskey),  “I  thought  they  liked  it,  but  I was  in- 
formed that  these  learned  doctors  drank  simply  in  or- 
der to  facilitate  their  communication  with  the  spirit, 
and  that  the  chances  were  that  they  did  not  like  the 
taste  of  whiskey.”  Their  investigation  consisted  in 
taking  a tiger’s  tooth  and  muttering  some  gibberish, 
drawing  it  along  the  side  and  back  of  the  patient,  till 
a deep  incision  drew  blood,  and  a cry  was  uttered. 
(The  patient  had  lost  the  power  of  speech.)  This 
sound  was  taken  to  indicate  the  spirit’s  locality,  and 
there  was  a vigorous  thrust  into  the  side,  with  foul  and 
abusive  language.  The  “three  drunken,  demoniac 
savages”  in  this  case  could  not  discover  the  spirit. 
But  if  the  name  of  some  one  is  mentioned  by  the  pa- 
tient, that  person  is  said  to  have  bewitched  him,  and 
he,  with  all  his  family,  must  leave  the  neighborhood. 
Everything  belonging  to  them  except  what  they  can 
easily  carry  is  burned ; they  cannot  sell  gardens,  rice- 
fields,  nor  other  possession,  for  no  one  will  risk  the 
supposed  contamination.  They  must  go  to  a distant 
province  occupied  only  by  others  like  themselves. 
Hundreds  of  families  are  yearly  driven  from  their 
homes  in  obedience  to  this  fearful  superstition. 

A letter  from  Dr.  Denman,  shows  more  of  this  ter- 
rible superstition,  “evil  spirit  possession.” 

“In  this  Laos  land,  happenings  which  are  not 
I05 


Opportunities 


easily  understood  are  attributed  to  spirits.  This  is 
specially  true  of  disease.  In  the  books  of  native  med- 
icine is  frequently  found  the  statement  that  ‘ if  this 
medicine  does  Isuow  (that  is,  has  no  effect  on  the 
disease)  it  is  spirits.’  The  manner  in  which  the  na- 
tive doctor  proceeds  is  as  follows : He  prepares  a 
piece  of  betel-nut  and  gives  it  to  his  patient  to  eat. 
If  the  patient  pronounces  the  odor  and  taste  disgust- 
ing, then  the  doctor  knows  it  is  ‘Freelsa,’  or  evil 
spirits  which  have  caused  the  trouble ; if  it  be  fra- 
grant, household  spirits  have  caused  the  trouble;  if 
it  be  sour,  spirits  have  charmed  the  patient ; if  the 
taste  be  salty,  the  witchery  is  of  man.  Then  the 
patient  or  his  friends  must  make  certain  offerings  to 
the  spirits  before  taking  medicine. 

“ As  long  as  spirits  are  well  fed,  they  are  supposed 
to  be  good  spirits  and  do  nobody  any  harm.  Some- 
times, however,  a person  is  careless  and  does  not  nour- 
ish his  household  spirits  sufficiently.  Then  their 
tempers,  human  like,  rise  with  long  fasting  and  they 
go  visiting  among  their  owner’s  relatives,  inflicting 
injury  here  and  there.  Should  the  owner  still  neglect 
his  spirit- worship,  the  spirits  become  evil  demons  in- 
deed, going  about  seeking  what  they  may  devour  of 
flesh  of  man  or  beast.  But  should  the  owner  take 
warning,  and  make  offerings  to  the  spirits,  they  may 
not  be  received.  The  spirits  are  angry,  and  from 
that  time  all  men  call  them  evil  spirits.  Thenceforth 
that  man  cannot  escape  the  influence  of  those  angry 
spirits.  If  he  moves  his  habitation  they  follow.  For 
a time  they  may  wander  away  but  they  always  come 
106 


Siam  and  Laos 


back  like  ‘the  cat.’  From  time  to  time  they  take 
possession  of  some  sick  person  and  cause  him  to  call 
out  the  name  of  their  master  or  owner. 

“If  a person  is  ill  and  his  friends  neglect  him;  if 
they  leave  him  alone  for  a moment  or  fail  to  put  his 
spirit-charms  on  his  wrists  or  neck,  some  evil  spirit 
will  steal  in,  and  take  possession  of  him.  Again,  the 
owner  of  an  evil  spirit  may  have  a quarrel  with  a 
neighbor  and  the  evil  spirit  take  possession  of  the 
neighbor. 

“When  the  owner  of  an  evil  spirit  dies  or  gets  rid 
of  the  spirits  by  entering  the  Christian  religion,  the 
spirits  are  supposed  to  take  up  their  abode  near  some 
deserted  temple  ground.  A person,  especially  a 
woman  or  child  may  go  near  that  temple  ground  for 
wood  or  vegetables,  which  the  natives  gather  in  the 
woods  or  waste  places,  and  a few  days  after  be  taken 
with  fever.  The  friends  then  consult  the  oracles 
which  will  declare  that  the  spirits  of  a certain  deserted 
temple  trouble  the  sick  person.  A pig  or  a chicken  is 
offered  as  food  for  the  spirit  and  the  sick  gets  well. 

“When  an  evil  spirit  takes  possession  of  anyone, 
the  person  becomes  unconscious  for  a time  and  then 
delirious.  The  friends  call  a spirit  doctor,  who  after 
tying  cords  about  the  wrist  of  his  patient  asks  him,  or 
rather  asks  the  spirit  which  possesses  him,  the  name 
of  his  owner.  The  spirit,  through  the  man,  gives  the 
name,  or  perhaps  no  name  is  forthcoming.  Then  the 
attendants  beat  the  man  until  the  spirit  answers.  The 
person  whose  name  is  given  out  is  sent  for,  or  if  the  sick 
man  be  able,  all  may  go  in  a body  to  the  house  of  the 
107 


Opportunities 


spirit’s  owner.  When  the  owner  is  found,  the  spirit 
(man)  cries  ‘take  me  home,  take  me  home,  they  have 
tied  me  here.’  The  person  who  is  suspected  of  being 
the  evil  spirit’s  owner  then  asks  a multitude  of  ques- 
tions. For  instance,  the  spirit  will  be  asked  where 
the  man  lives,  what  are  the  names  of  his  father, 
mother,  wife  and  children.  How  many  cattle  and 
buffaloes  he  has ; how  much  money  he  has  and  how 
much  of  it  is  borrowed.  If  the  spirit  answers  all  these 
questions  correctly,  the  man  accused  must  acknowl- 
edge it  as  his  and  promise  to  take  it  home.  If,  how- 
ever, the  answers  are  not  correct,  that  person  is  free ; 
it  is  not  his  spirit.  In  such  a case  the  man  is  again 
beaten  to  get  the  spirit  to  tell  the  truth.  Should 
no  owner  be  found,  it  is  no  proof  of  the  non-existence 
of  spirits,  but  they  say  that  spirit  is  accustomed  to 
deceive  his  owner. 

“ When  a person  has  confessed  to  the  ownership  of 
an  evil  spirit,  if  it  be  the  first  offense  perhaps  nothing 
will  be  done ; but  if  that  spirit  shall  go  and  ‘ eat  ’ a 
second  person,  the  case  will  be  taken  to  the  rulers, 
who  will  probably  drive  the  owner  out  of  the  village, 
tear  down  the  house  and  destroy  all  trees  and  vegeta- 
bles growing  on  the  place.  Afterwards  no  one  will 
knowingly  live  on  the  place.  Should  a person  un- 
wittingly become  possessed  of  some  of  the  property 
of  the  exiled  man,  even  though  it  be  a single  earthen 
vessel,  the  evil  spirit  will  take  up  his  abode  with  that 
person  and  sometimes  cause  him  trouble  in  the  same 
way. 

“Some  evil  spirits  are  worse  than  others.  If  an 
108 


Siam  and  Laos 


ordinary  evil  spirit  troubles  many  people,  it  finally 
becomes  very  bad,  and  takes  the  form  of  a white  horse 
with  a very  long  tail  and  mane.  At  midnight  this 
horse  goes  forth  in  search  of  some  sick  person.  Hav- 
ing found  such  an  one  he  gallops  round  and  round 
that  house.  If  the  people  leave  the  sick  man  only 
for  a moment,  or  allow  the  fire  to  die  out,  the  spirit 
enters  and  takes  possession  of  him.  ‘ Of  whomsoever 
this  spirit  takes  possession,  that  person  dies.’  Such 
is  the  belief  of  the  people,  and  they  live  in  daily  fear 
of  the  influence  of  an  evil  spirit. 

“Although  they  claim  to  be  Buddhists,  their  books 
teach  that  any  one  who  holds  that  evil  spirits  are 
worthy  of  worship,  cannot  be  a disciple  of  Buddha. 
When  the  people’s  attention  is  called  to  this  fact  they 
usually  acknowledge  that  it  is  so,  but  continue  in  the 
same  evil  way.  One  great  trouble  in  winning  con- 
verts to  Christ  among  these  people,  is  that  they  do 
not  think  for  themselves.  They  do  these  things  be- 
cause their  father  or  mother  did  them  before  them. 
Usually  willing  to  acknowledge  the  insufficiency  of 
Buddhism  or  spirit  worship,  they  blindly  follow  on 
after  their  blind  leaders.  Nothing  but  God’s  Spirit 
in  great  power  can  convict  and  convert.  Without 
these  our  words  are  of  no  avail.” 

Although  spirit  worship  and  other  religious  observ- 
ances are  supreme  at  their  homes,  the  people  willingly 
neglect  them  on  mission  premises.  Efficient  medical 
mission  work,  which  means  hospital  work,  is  the  chief 
hope  of  religious  and  intellectual  regeneration  to  this 
people. 

109 


Opportunities 


The  wards  of  the  Chieng  Mai  Hospital  are  kept 
always  full ; the  dispensary  receipts  exceed  the  ex- 
penditures. There  are  four  native  assistants.  The 
hospital  nurse  is  Ai  Keo,  who  came  eight  years 
ago  as  patient,  and  now  is  an  excellent  evangel- 
ist. “ He  lives  the  gospel  daily  amongst  the  sick, 
and  is  constant  in  the  study  of  the  Bible,  and  con- 
stant also  in  teaching  all  who  come  into  the  wards. 
By  day  and  by  night  he  watches  the  sick,  and  cares 
for  them  as  though  they  were  his  own  family.  Sel- 
dom is  practical  Christianity  so  well  illustrated.”  A 
religious  service  is  held  every  night,  three  nights  at 
the  medical  residence  and  four  nights  on  the  hospital 
veranda,  the  last  being  in  charge  of  native  Christians. 
They  have  also  organized  a Christian  Endeavor  So- 
ciety, at  whose  meetings  all  freely  take  part.  The 
offering  made  at  every  meeting  is  used  for  the  lepers 
and  prisoners.  Prince  and  people  now  favor  the 
work.  The  Chieng  Mai  chief  so  long  friendly  to  our 
medical  work,  not  long  before  his  death  in  1897,  sent 
a gift  of  1,000  rupees  to  aid  this  department.  From 
funds  collected  on  the  field,  this  hospital  has  been 
enlarged. 

In  a “Bi-monthly  letter  of  the  North  Laos  Mis- 
sion,” is  this  paragraph:  “We  are  constantly  im- 

pressed with  the  need  of  more  trained  medical 
assistants.  When  will  the  church  at  home  send  us 
two  or  three  much  needed  missionary  physicians,  in 
order  that  there  may  be  a beginning  made  in  medical 
instruction  for  the  Laos?  ” 

Dr.  Briggs  writes : “ Dr.  J.  W.  McKean,  who  is 
110 


NEW  NATIVE  WAliDS  AND  CHAPEL,  CHIF.NG  MAI. 

FOUR  NATIVE  HELPERS.  PHOTOGRAPH  BY  DR.  IV.  A.  BRIGGS. 


Siam  and  Laos 


most  efficient  as  an  evangelist  and  translator  and  also 
as  a physician  and  surgeon,  has  had  sole  charge  of 
the  medical  work  of  Chieng  Mai ; a work  that,  in 
itself,  could  keep  three  medical  men  busy.  Besides 
hospital  and  dispensary  work  and  the  multitude  of 
calls  from  the  heathen  around,  he  must  care  for  the 
Christians  within  a radius  of  thirty  miles,  who  look  to 
him  as  their  ‘Father  Nourisher.’  The  work  is  so 
great  that  without  an  associate  it  is  impossible  to  find 
time  to  train  efficient  native  physicians.  Truly  here 
is  an  attractive  and  urgent  call  to  some  consecrated 
physician  and  a call  to  the  church  to  send  him  to 
the  help  of  this  long-suffering  ‘ Doctor  of  the  Old 
School.’  ” 

In  1885  Rev.  S.  C.  Peoples,  M.  D.,  and  Mrs. 
Peoples  began  work  at  Lakawn  where  is  now  the  well- 
furnished  Charles  T.  Van  Santvoord  Hospital.  The 
first  contribution  toward  the  woman’s  ward  came 
from  a woman  in  Canada,  who  gave  three  dollars 
when  all  her  year’s  income  was  but  thirty  dollars. 
Every  cent  for  this  ward  was  given  by  women. 

Dr.  W.  A.  Briggs,  during  the  last  famine  in  Lakawn, 
was  caring  for  sixty  sick  people,  thirty  in  the  hospital ; 
and  distributing  famine  relief  to  two  or  three  hundred 
persons  daily  ; treating  dispensary  patients  ; superin- 
tending the  building  of  the  woman’s  ward  ; and  study- 
ing the  language.  It  was  such  satisfactory  work  that 
he  said  : “ Some  day  we  shall  find  out  who  has  had 
the  best  time  of  it  in  this  world.”  On  one  of  his 
tours  he  traveled  in  three  months  nearly  1,000  miles, 
helping  1,000  sick  persons  in  thirty-four  places,  and 


in 


Opportunities 


preaching  the  gospel  to  the  Laos  people  as  far  north 
as  Yunnan  Province,  China. 

Here  it  is  appropriate  to  mention  the  tours  of  Rev. 
Daniel  McGilvary,  who  though  not  an  M.  D.  has 
done  efficient  medical  service  as  one  of  the  pioneer 
missionaries  from  his  first  arrival  in  Chieng  Mai,  to  the 
present  time.  In  his  itinerating  tours,  often  alone,  into 
French-Laos  territory  to  the  northeast  and  into  British- 
Laos  territory  to  the  north,  he  follows  the  directions 
of  Christ:  “Heal  the  sick  and  preach  the  gospel.” 
An  account  of  the  tours  of  this  veteran  missionary 
would  make  a valuable  and  interesting  volume  for 
students  of  foreign  missions. 

Medical  work  at  Lampoon  was  begun  by  Rev.  W. 
C.  Dodd  in  1891.  A native  trained  by  Dr.  Peoples 
came  afterwards  and  has  carried  on  a very  successful 
dispensary  work  under  mission  auspices. 

At  Pre,  which  was  opened  in  1893,  by  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Briggs,  hospital  work  has  been  carried  on  by  Dr. 
Thomas.  The  sixty  in-patients  reported  last  year  do 
not  represent  the  number  who  have  heard  of  Christ, 
for  a patient  is  always  accompanied  by  from  two  to 
five  relatives.  The  doctor  and  helpers  daily  present 
the  gospel,  and  many  patients  carry  to  their  homes  the 
literature  supplied  by  Mrs.  Thomas.  At  the  dispen- 
sary nearly  2,000  heard  the  word  of  God  in  one  year. 
The  dispensary  receipts  in  1901  were  1,830  rupees. 

Pre  is  the  Mitchell  Memorial  Station.  The  last 
appeal  received  by  the  Rev.  Arthur  Mitchell,  D.  D., 
the  honored  secretary  of  the  Presbyterian  Board,  was 
from  Laos. 


1 12 


Siam  and  Laos 


Chieng  Rai,  nine  days  northward  from  Chieng 
Mai,  was  occupied  in  February,  1897.  Accommo- 
dations are  not  extensive.  The  hospital  ward  ac- 
commodated ten  patients  and  cost  less  than  $ 60 . A 
dispensary  building  and  adjoining  rest-house  were  to 
be  added.  Here  Dr.  Denman  had  his  headquarters, 
and  made  tours  into  the  surrounding  country,  till  Dr. 
Briggs  took  up  the  work. 

In  October,  ’97,  the  hospital  was  thus  described  : 
“ Our  hospital  ward  is  so  far  complete  that  we 
hope  to  be  able  to  occupy  it  this  week.  You,  who 
know  hospitals  as  they  are  in  America,  must  not 
imagine  that  we  have  such  here.  Let  me  describe 
it  if  I can.  A building  twenty-five  by  fifteen  feet, 
with  walls  of  matting  much  coarser  than  floor  mat- 
ting. The  floor  of  teak  boards  and  the  roof  of 
thatch  made  from  long  grass.  About  one  side  and 
end  runs  an  eight  foot  veranda.  All  sides  are  well 
supplied  with  doors  and  windows  for  free  ventila- 
tion, of  which  there  is  often  much  need.  You  would 
not  see  any  white,  snowy  cots,  or  white-capped  nurses, 
instead  each  patient  brings  his  own  mattress  of  cotton 
and  thin  cotton  blanket,  or,  if  he  is  too  poor,  one  is 
furnished  him.  The  usual  custom,  which  I would 
like  very  much  to  change,  is  for  some  friend  to 
come  along  to  wait  on  the  patient.  So  there  is  no 
trained  nursing,  the  hospital  assistant  being  the  nearest 
approach  to  it. 

“ For  the  present  or  until  we  can  erect  the  dispen- 
sary and  operating  room,  we  will  be  obliged  to  par- 
tition off  a little  room  in  this  hospital  ward  for  dis- 
”3 


Opportunities 


pensary  purposes.  For  the  past  four  months  and  a 
half  we  have  been  having  rain  nearly  every  day.  But 
the  rainy  season  is  about  over  now  and  the  people  are 
coming  more  freely  for  medicine,  and  also  to  listen  to 
the  gospel.  As  soon  as  we  can  get  into,  the  hospital  I 
hope  to  have  daily  service  there,  so  that  all  the 
patients  shall  at  least  have  an  opportunity  of  hearing 
the  gospel.  The  rest  we  must  leave  with  God,  who 
only  has  the  power  to  convince  and  convert.  Your 
prayers  will  help  mightily  in  this  work  and  all  other.” 
Dr.  Mary  Bowman  Irwin,  resident  in  Muang  Nan, 
is  the  only  woman  physician  in  the  Laos  mission. 
The  women  flock  to  hear  her  as  they  will  not  to  a 
man.  She  has  brought  light  and  help  to  many  lives. 

On  one  of  Dr.  Irwin’s  tours  the  people  were  amazed, 
terrified,  when  she  and  Miss  Fleeson  set  up  their  tent 
in  a very  bad  spirit  locality.  But  the  terror  passed  off, 
and  the  people  freely  visited  the  missionaries.  “ While 
the  ladies  were  still  in  possession  of  this  stronghold  of 
Satan,  the  monstrous  spirit  confessed  to  the  people, 
through  a medium,  that  they  need  never  be  afraid  of 
him  any  more  ; he  would  do  them  no  more  evil ; he 
could  not  withstand  the  religion  of  Jesus,  and  he  was 
going  away  to  another  region.  The  gratitude  of  the 
people  to  the  missionaries  was  truly  pathetic.” 

“ Wherever  the  missionary  goes,  the  perfect  uncon- 
cern with  which  he  is  able  to  invade  these  regions  of 
terror  is  a revelation  to  the  people — so  much  so  that 
they  distinctly  look  to  the  missionary,  to  the  Chris- 
tians, for  release  from  their  hard  masters.  The  gov- 
ernor himself  announced  at  a public  dinner  that  the 
114 


Siam  and  Laos 


spirits  are  not  so  fierce  as  they  were  ; and  that  the 
country  is  much  better  in  this  regard  than  it  used  to 
be;  ” so  writes  Dr.  Peoples,  the  pioneer  of  Nan  Sta- 
tion, where  the  Lord  himself  seemed  to  have  gone  be- 
fore our  missionaries  and  opened  the  way  for  them. 
“An  open  door  and  effectual,  but  there  are  many 
adversaries.” 

The  hospital  at  Nan  is  not  worthy  of  the  name.  It 
is  only  a very  cheap  native  house  not  presenting  the 
appearance  of  being  a desirable  place  to  come  for 
treatment. 

The  entire  medical  work  of  both  the  Siam  and  Laos 
Missions  is  wholly  self-supporting,  including  assistants, 
drugs,  instruments,  supplies,  and  in  several  cases  land 
and  buildings. 


n5 


Summary  of  Medical  Work 


MALAY  PENINSULA 


American  Baptist  Missionary  Union. 
Bangkok  medical  work 

Brethren's  Mission , English. 
Tong-kah,  Penang,  medical  work 

Methodist  Episcopal  Missionary  Society. 
Singapore  D. 

Penang  D. 


Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  ATorth. 


Founded 

Chieng  Mai,  Laos,  H.  D.  1867 

James  W.  McKean,  M.  D. 
C.  H.  Denman,  M.  D. 

Chieng  Rai  D.  1897 

W.  A.  Briggs,  M.  D. 

Lakawn  Van  Santvoord  H.  D.  1S86 


Muang  Pre 
Nan 

Petchaburee,  Siam, 

Rajaburee 

Nakawn 


C.  C.  Hansen,  M.  D. 

H.  D.  1890 

Rev.  J.  S.  Hatch,  M.  D. 

H.  D.  1895 

Rev.  S.  C.  Peoples,  M.  D. 
Mrs.  Robert  Irwin,  M.  D. 

H.  D.  1882 

\V.  J.  Swart,  M.  D. 

H.  1889 

Rev.  Egon  Wachter,  M.  D. 
medical  work  1899 

H.  W.  Boyd,  M.  D. 

H.  1898 

Walter  B.  Toy,  M.  D. 


116 


Pitsanuloke 


HOSPITAL  AT  M I RAJ,  INDIA. 


CHAPTER  V 


INDIA 

India  is  equal  in  area  to  the  United  States  east  of 
the  Mississippi,  and  it  contains  one-sixth  of  the  entire 
population  of  the  world. 

Much  of  English  power  in  India  dates  back  to 
1636,  when  Dr.  Gabriel  Boughton,  an  Englishman, 
was  at  the  court  of  the  Great  Mogul.  A princess  was 
badly  burned.  He  cured  her,  and  as  his  only  reward 
asked  that  his  countrymen  might  have  the  privilege  of 
trade  with  India.  England,  therefore,  owes  much  to 
medical  work.  The  first  missionaries  were  the  Danes ; 
they  had  medical  work  at  Tranquebar  and  Madras  in 
1 730— 3 2-  Dr.  Thomas,  at  first  a civil  physician  in 
India,  returning  to  England  to  press  the  medical  needs 
of  the  land,  was  appointed  to  go  with  Carey  as  med- 
ical missionary.  For  six  years  Carey  labored  without 
a single  convert.  Then  a carpenter,  Krishna  Pal,  was 
hurt ; Dr.  Thomas  cured  him,  and  he  became  con- 
verted and  their  first  Hindu  convert  was  baptized. 

'Hie  first  American  missionary  was  Dr.  John 
Scudder  of  the  American  Board,  who  began  work  at 
Ceylon  in  1819,  afterwards  removing  to  Madras.  The 
first  woman  medical  missionary  from  any  land  was  one 
who  went  to  India : — Dr.  Clara  A.  Swain,  sent  in 
1869  to  Bareilly  by  the  American  Methodists.  They 

1 17 


Opportunities 


also  began  the  first  medical  class  for  women  at  Nynee 
Talin  1869.  In  1890  there  were  166  missionary  hos- 
pitals and  dispensaries,  97  foreign  and  168  native 
medical  missionaries  and  40,513  zenanas  open.  In 
1900  there  were  hi  missionary  hospitals  and  255 
dispensaries  in  India. 

The  death  rate  in  British-India  advanced  from 
20.98  per  thousand  in  1880  to  29.61  in  1890,  being 
thus  almost  twice  that  of  the  United  States.  The 
native  practices  are  barbarous.  Nearly  a quarter  of  a 
million  die  annually  from  smallpox,  chiefly  because 
the  smallpox  goddess  “Mother  of  Death”  would  be 
enraged  if  persons  were  vaccinated.  Two  thousand 
children  were  left  to  perish  of  smallpox  a few  years 
ago  in  one  city. 

Cholera  is  sent  by  an  evil  goddess,  but  as  it  would 
offend  her  to  call  her  a bad  name,  she  is  called 
“ Murree  Ai,”  Cholera  Mother.  Giving  and  taking 
medicine  for  this  disease  only  excites  the  mother  still 
more,  they  think,  and  the  only  way  to  get  rid  of  the 
pestilence  is  to  give  honor  to  her  and  so  to  induce  her 
to  go  elsewhere.  In  every  village  one  or  two  small 
temples  are  dedicated  to  her,  in  which  are  a few 
shapeless  stones  painted  red.  These  temples  are  near 
the  extreme  limits  of  the  town  so  that  she  may  stay 
far  from  the  homes.  At  the  time  of  an  epidemic 
these  are  repaired. 

There  are  in  most  towns  a few  men  and  women  of 
the  lowest  castes  who  are  devotees  of  this  goddess, 
and  they  get  much  attention  and  profit  in  cholera 
times.  Even  intelligent  men  come  to  ask  them, 
1 18 


India 


“ What  is  the  mother’s  pleasure?  How  long  does  she 
intend  to  favor  the  town  with  her  presence,  and  what 
can  we  do  for  her?”  After  going  into  a kind  of 
trance,  the  devotee  tells  them  how  many  days  she  will 
stay,  and  what  attentions  she  would  like.  These  at- 
tentions are  gladly  shown.  She  is  thought  to  have 
green  for  her  favorite  color,  so  that  new  green  cloth  is 
given  to  the  devotee,  with  money  and  other  articles. 
Lemons  are  cut  over  the  devotee’s  head  and  thrown 
in  all  directions,  to  scatter  the  disease.  Goats,  eggs, 
sweetmeats,  dates,  are  offered  at  the  temple,  which  the 
devotee  gets.  Sometimes  every  one  must  spend  a day 
near  the  temple.  The  devotee,  with  face  reddened 
and  teeth  blackened,  to  look  as  hideous  as  possible,  is 
followed  out  of  town  by  Brahmins,  and  Hindus,  and 
shopkeepers  who  have  closed  their  shops. 

A small  cart  is  made  and  on  the  axle  are  fastened 
two  wooden  figures  of  the  mother,  about  nine  inches 
high,  adorned  with  bracelets,  green  cloths  and  paint ; 
rice  is  sprinkled  on  the  cloths,  the  cart  is  put  on  the 
head  of  the  devotee  and  escorted  with  music,  to  the 
temple.  This  is  a polite  hint  that  so  much  honor 
should  keep  her  in  the  temple. 

The  people  think  that  she  likes  to  ride  in  a cart, 
and  in  small  towns  during  an  epidemic  the  town  gates 
are  shut  to  keep  out  all  carts,  lest  the  mother  jump 
into  one  and  come  in  with  it.  When  there  seems  to 
be  no  other  way  of  getting  rid  of  her,  the  devotee 
carries  the  little  cart  with  music  and  honor  just  across 
the  boundary  line  of  the  next  town.  The  people  of 
the  town,  hearing  of  its  arrival,  take  it  with  similar 
119 


Opportunities 


music  and  honors  to  the  proper  temple,  make  offer- 
ings, and  then  take  it  to  the  next  town  beyond. 
Often  they  cry  out  while  escorting  the  goddess : 
“ Victory  to  the  Mother  ! ” 

Rev.  R.  A.  Hume,  of  Ahmednagar,  thus  described 
the  cholera  mother  some  years  ago ; adding  that  in 
the  cities  and  largest  towns  medical  missions  are 
gradually  eradicating  such  superstitions. 

The  millions  of  devil  worshipers  of  Southern  India 
account  for  the  existence  of  disease  and  of  celestial 
deliverance  by  the  tale  that  when  Siva  was  one  day 
being  served  with  celestial  food  by  some  of  the  inferior 
gods,  the  giant  Taradan,  overpowering  them,  seized 
the  repast  and  devoured  it.  Furious  at  the  loss  of 
his  meal,  Siva  created  the  sacred  Vedas  to  assist 
Pattera,  Kalee  and  Veerapatteram  in  punishing  the 
offender.  They  worked  so  promptly  and  effectually 
that  his  enemy  was  destroyed,  to  his  great  delight. 
He  then  endowed  them  with  unlimited  power  to  in- 
flict all  manner  of  disease,  and  to  kill  all  on  earth 
who  opposed  them  or  neglected  to  offer  sacrifice. 
Then  death  or  terrible  diseases  so  grievously  afflicted 
the  people  that  they  enquired  of  the  priests  how  to 
prevent  such  calamities,  and  were  told  that  though 
Siva  had  given  the  demons  this  dreadful  power,  yet 
sacrifices  of  goats,  sheep,  fowls,  plantains,  flowers, 
incense  and  festivals  would  produce  deliverance.  In 
consequence  began  “ scenes  sickening  and  humiliating 
beyond  description,”  says  Dr.  John  Lowe. 

The  common  village  practitioner  is  the  black  hill- 
woman,  partly  witch,  partly  doctor.  She  walks 


120 


India 


through  the  streets,  a bundle  of  herbs  on  her  head, 
carrying  her  child  swinging  in  a net  from  her  arm, 
offering  medicines  for  rheumatism,  fever,  paralysis. 
A handful  of  uncooked  rice  contents  her  as  a fee. 
Often  she  is  supposed  to  have  the  “ evil  eye,”  and  she 
can  soothe  hysterical  patients  to  sleep.  The  village 
doctor  deals  in  charms  and  amulets  and  is  thought  to 
possess  various  magical  arts.  Often  he  is  the  strongest 
ally  of  the  priests.  The  village  and  jungle  people 
have  no  other  doctors.  The  masses  live  in  villages  ; 
ninety  per  cent,  of  the  population  live  in  villages  of  less 
than  two  thousand  inhabitants.  There  being  no  sani- 
tary arrangements,  but  unspeakable  neglect  of  them, 
dust,  filth  and  stifling  odors  abound. 

While  cholera  and  smallpox  are  prevalent,  few 
foreigners  die  of  these,  and  there  is  no  scarlet  fever, 
diphtheria,  nor  spinal  meningitis.  Many  natives  die 
yearly  from  snake-bites,  for  they  usually  go  about 
bare-legged  and  sleep  on  earth  floors  or  in  the  open 
air.  The  most  unhealthy  time  is  from  June  to  Sep- 
tember, during  the  rains,  and  in  October  when  there 
is  great  moisture  and  decay  of  vegetation.  With 
proper  care  most  persons  can  live  to  good  old  age. 
If  a foreigner  protects  himself  from  the  sun,  takes 
sufficient  sleep,  with  a daily  siesta  if  necessary,  and 
pays  due  regard  to  food  and  recreation  the  battle  can 
be  won.  Many  of  the  third  and  even  of  the  fourth 
generation  are  still  working  for  India. 

It  is  the  women  who  suffer  most,  whether  rich  or 
poor.  They  are  utterly  neglected  in  time  of  sickness. 
Prejudices  and  customs  banish  medical  aid  altogether; 

I 21 


Opportunities 


infectious  and  other  diseases  are  left  to  take  their 
course.  Woman  is  taught  that  she  is  “ unworthy  of 
confidence  and  the  slave  of  passion  ; a great  whirl- 
pool of  suspicion,  a dwelling-place  of  vices,  full  of 
deceits,  a hindrance  in  the  way  of  heaven,  the  very 
gate  of  hell.”  Does  not  this  reveal  what  women  in 
India  must  undergo?  A few  years  ago,  an  appeal 
from  physicians  in  India  for  English  redress  for  women 
was  sent  forth.  With  awful  plainness  it  laid  bare  case 
after  case  of  women’s  and  children’s  agony  from  man’s 
brutality, — the  butchery  going  on  unmolested  because 
it  is  behind  the  sacred  purdah  that  shuts  inspection 
out  from  the  woman’s  apartments — and  India  has  one- 
sixth  of  the  world’s  population. 

Infanticide  is  easily  practiced  on  girls.  “ What 
labor  is  there  in  crushing  a flower?”  said  a Jadeja 
chief,  on  being  asked  what  means  were  employed. 
Fully  one-third  of  the  girls  born  among  the  natives 
are  believed  to  be  secretly  murdered.  And  nearly 
every  fifth  woman  suffers  as  a widow. 

A little  girl  is  married  and  carried  to  her  mother- 
in-law.  Here  is  the  tale  of  one  such.  She  was  a 
Mohammedan  and  became  a widow.  By  Moham- 
medan laws  widows  can  remarry.  Being  the  family 
drudge,  she  finally  expressed  a wish  to  marry  again. 
Her  mother-in-law  resolved  to  prevent  her.  When  at 
night  the  family  was  assembled,  and  the  women  were 
about  to  paint  their  eyelids  as  usual,  the  “ mother-in- 
law  dipped  a little  iron  rod  in  antimony,  blackened 
her  lids,  and  then  handed  it  to  her  husband.  He  re- 
turned it  to  her,  and  she  then  dipped  it  into  the 
122 


India 


poisonous  juice  of  a sort  of  prickly-pear,  which  she 
had  obtained  on  purpose,  and  handed  it  to  her 
daughter-in-law.  The  girl  innocently  applied  it  to 
her  eyes.  She  soon  cried  out  with  agony,  and  after 
some  days  of  fearful  suffering,  the  sight  of  both  eyes 
was  hopelessly  gone.”  “No  wonder,”  a woman 
medical  missionary  says,  “ the  secluded  zenanas’ 
homes  are  often  dens  of  iniquity.” 

If  a boy  is  born  there  is  joy.  If  a daughter  comes 
into  the  gloom  and  stifling  atmosphere  of  the  ze- 
nana it  is  taken  as  a token  that  the  gods  are  angry, 
and  that  the  poor  young  mother  has  incurred  their 
majestic  wrath.  The  air  is  considered  to  be  thick 
with  omens.  A fire  must  be  burnt  incessantly  in 
order  to  exclude  the  evil  spirits  which  might  exer- 
cise a baneful  influence  upon  the  child’s  future. 
Whenever  the  baby  cries,  more  fuel  must  be  put  on 
the  fire,  until  the  degree  of  heat  renders  existence 
well-nigh  unendurable.  Some  iron  instrument,  such 
as  a scythe,  must  always  be  either  stuck  into  the  bed 
or  put  around  it.  The  father  may  kill  girls  at  birth. 
In  spite  of  both  government  and  religion  there  is 
secretly  an  alarming  amount  of  infanticide.  If  a girl 
is  born  after  her  brother’s  death,  or  if  a boy  dies  soon 
after  her  birth,  she  is  regarded  as  the  cause,  and 
is  beaten,  cursed,  persecuted,  despised  by  all.  As 
daughter-in-law,  the  lowest  position  in  the  family,  the 
first  discipline  is  breaking  her  spirit. 

A young  zenana  lady  was  asked  if  she  had  any 
children.  “ No,”  emphatically  replied  a friend,  “she 
never  had  any.”  Presently  the  patient  happened  to 
123 


Opportunities 


remark  that  she  had  not  been  well  since  her  baby  was 
born.  The  visitor  expressed  great  astonishment. 
“ Why,  you  told  me  she  never  had  a child  ! ” “ Oh 

yes,  she  had  a girl ; but  what  is  that  ? ” 

When  a Hindu  baby  is  born  the  mother  “ is  kept 
in  a small,  close,  dark  room,  with  a fire  (which  is 
generally  placed  in  a brazier  under  her  bed),  and 
without  any  possibility  of  fresh  air ; on  the  next  day 
she  is  given  a cold  bath,  and  returned  to  her  cell  like 
a prisoner.  For  three  days  after  her  baby’s  birth  she 
is  allowed  nothing  but  a little  water,  perhaps  with 
some  bread  soaked  in  it.  Merciless  and  nameless  are 
the  barbarities  practiced  on  her  and  her  baby,  usually 
by  her  only  assistant,  the  native  nurse,  whose  ig- 
norance, quackery  and  immorality  utterly  unfit  her 
for  the  position.  But  the  relatives  of  a sick  woman 
vastly  prefer  to  have  her  die  rather  than  be  sent  to  a 
government  hospital,  or  visited  by  a man  physician.” 
If  exception  should  be  made  for  a high  caste  woman 
and  a man  physician  be  called,  the  eye  and  tongue  of 
the  patient  may  only  be  seen  through  a slit  in  the  cur- 
tain ; the  pulse  must  be  felt  in  the  same  way.  Ques- 
tions must  be  asked  by  the  doctor  of  a servant  on  his 
side  the  curtain,  while  a servant  within  answers.  No 
other  observations  must  be  made  through  this  open- 
ing. A patient  who  inadvertently  saw  and  afterwards 
remarked  on  the  size  and  color  of  the  doctor’s  hand 
was  starved  to  death  by  her  modest  relatives. 

Native  surgery  in  case  of  tumors  simply  trusts  to 
physical  force  in  tearing  away  the  growth.  The 
native  doctors  diet  so  strictly  that  it  is  actual  starva- 
124 


India 


tion.  The  belief  in  evil  eye  hinders  many  cures.  A 
boy  breaking  his  arm,  his  father  tied  it  in  splints. 
These  the  native  doctor  untied,  and  tied  it  in  bran. 
Mortification  set  in.  The  missionary  offered  to  pay 
all  expenses  to  the  nearest  hospital,  two  miles  away, 
but  as  the  evil  eye  was  in  that  locality,  they  would 
not  permit  it,  and  the  boy  died. 

The  majority  of  the  civil  surgeons  live  in  the  large 
cities  and  cantonment  centres,  while  67,000,000  of 
the  people  have  but  little  of  British  superintendence. 
It  is  doubtful  if  two  per  cent,  of  them  live  within 
twenty-five  miles  of  a European  physician.  The  edu- 
cated native  physicians  are  usually  Brahmins,  men  of 
high  caste,  educated  in  the  medical  colleges  of  Bom- 
bay, Calcutta,  and  Madras.  A low  caste  man  going 
to  a state  dispensary  for  treatment  stands  at  the  door 
a few  feet  away  from  the  doctor.  He  is  asked  to  put 
out  his  tongue,  and  a question  or  two  asked  ; if  an 
outcaste  his  pulse  will  not  even  be  felt.  The  doctor, 
unwilling  to  touch  him,  often  writes  a prescription 
without  any  idea  of  his  disease.  The  medicine  will 
vary  in  quality  according  to  the  patient’s  ability  to 
fee  the  doctor,  who  is  himself  a salaried  officer.  An 
English  surgeon  was  visited  by  a native  Christian 
woman  for  a seriously  sprained  ankle.  He  said : 
“ Oh,  the  leg  is  very  bad  ; anyway  she  is  only  an  old 
hag  of  a native  woman,  and  no  one  will  be  any  worse 
if  she  dies.  I cannot  be  bothered  with  her,  so  give 
her  some  opium  and  let  her  die.” 

A low  caste  man,  with  acute  mortification  of  the 
leg,  was  not  even  placed  on  one  of  the  six  unoccu- 
i25 


Opportunities 


pied  beds  of  a state  dispensary.  The  doctor  went  out 
to  drive,  and  left  the  case  for  operation  by  his  igno- 
rant compounder,  and  the  man  actually  rotted  to 
death  on  the  floor,  nothing  being  done  for  his  relief. 
The  published  records  of  this  dispensary  for  1894, 
Dr.  Wanless  tells  us  had  this  entry : “ In-patients 
treated,  one ; in-patients  cured,  one ; percentage  of 
cures  100  per  cent.” 

In  medical  missionary  dispensary  work  patience  is 
essential,  and  it  is  sorely  tried.  “ Some  of  the  women 
as  they  come  for  the  first  time  forget  everything  in 
gazing  vacantly  at  the  Miss  Sahiba,  and  can  only  nod 
and  reply  ‘Yes’  to  every  question  put  to  them. 
Carefully  as  the  directions  are  given,  some  will  misun- 
derstand. A woman  hands  in  a white  bottle  to  the 
dispensary;  it  is  filled  with  red  medicine  and  re- 
turned ; but  she  refuses  to  take  it.  ‘ It  is  not  mine,’ 
she  persists  ; ‘ my  bottle  is  white.’  ” 

Hindus  object  to  liquid  medicines  and  must  have 
powders.  One  will  throw  the  medicine  away,  an- 
other will  eat  paper  and  powder.  One  mother  brought 
her  little  girl.  She  said  : “ I have  been  so  careful ; I 
have  put  the  country  medicine  in  (her  eyes)  every 
day.”  For  two  whole  months  she  had  patiently  ap- 
plied a donkey’s  tooth  ground  up  with  charcoal.  The 
case  was  hopeless. 

The  largest  medical  mission  in  the  world  is  at 
Neyoor,  under  the  London  Missionary  Society. 
There  is  a hospital  (1901)  with  fifteen  dispensaries, 
and  eighteen  native  medical  evangelists.  In  1899 
the  cases  treated  were  109,029. 

126 


TWO  CHRISTIAN  NURSES,  SARA  SEWARD  HOSPITAL. 


India 


A favorite  of  the  Rani  (queen)  went  for  treatment 
to  the  Sara  Seward  Memorial  Hospital  at  Allahabad 
and  her  prescription  card  had  on  the  back  in  Hindi, 
“Come  unto  me;  all  ye  that  labor,”  etc.  This  was 
shown  to  the  Rani,  who  was  much  pleased,  and  asked 
what  she  had  heard  at  the  hospital.  On  the  servant’s 
next  visit  came  a request  from  the  Rani  for  some 
books  in  Hindi  that  had  in  them  all  that  Dr.  Cald- 
well told  the  servant.  A number  of  these  were  sent 
and  permission  to  call  was  asked.  “For  several 
weeks  I heard  nothing,”  wrote  Dr.  Caldwell,  “but 
the  very  next  day  after  Mrs.  Janvier  and  I had  had  a 
little  prayer-meeting  over  the  mission  of  the  book,  I 
was  called  to  the  Rani’s  house  to  see  the  Rajah’s  third 
wife,  who  was  ill.  The  ailment  was  so  slight,  I sus- 
pected at  once  it  was  the  Rani  who  wished  to  see  me, 
as  she  soon  came  in,  a most  bewildering  combination 
of  colors.  We  chatted  politely  for  a little  while  until 
the  women  had  left,  and  then  she  began  asking  me 
questions  about  Christ.  As  she  spoke  a very  queer 
‘ bali  ’ (language),  a combination  of  Nepolese  and 
Urdu,  it  was  with  difficulty  I understood  her,  but  she 
seemed  to  understand  me,  and  was  very  patient  in  re- 
peating her  questions  any  number  of  times.  We 
spent  an  hour  in  questions  and  answers  and  she 
seemed  much  pleased  with  the  explanations  to  certain 
questions  which  had  been  puzzling  her,  and  would 
smile  and  shake  her  head  approvingly.  At  last  when 
I was  quite  worn  out,  I rose  to  go,  asking  to  be  al- 
lowed to  come  again,  and  she  replied  that  when  she 
could,  she  would  again  send  for  me.  She  offered  me 
127 


Opportunities 


some  wine  and  was  astonished  at  my  refusal  of  it,  say- 
ing she  thought  we  Europeans  all  drank.  I took 
some  Nepolese  sweets  instead  and  came  away. 

“A  girl  whose  stepmother  forbids  all  Christian  in- 
struction makes  excuses  to  come  to  the  hospital.  She 
has  told  her  stepmother  that  Christ  was  1 already  in 
her  heart,  and  had  come  to  stay.’  The  hospital  has 
been  a haven  for  many  women  who  have  seemed 
more  heavily  burdened  by  sin-sickness  than  of  the 
body.” 

Leper  work,  zenana  work,  Sunday  school  services, 
bedside  talks,  supervising  the  veranda  school,  are  all 
added  to  the  regular  hospital  routine.  “ We  have  had 
1,000  more  women  visit  the  hospital  than  last  year 
(4,184).  Numbers  generally  mean  very  little,  but 
this  means  1,000  more  women  have  heard  the  gospel 
from  three  to  a half  dozen  times,  than  heard  it  last 
year.  They  have  come  from  Allahabad  proper  and 
sixty-three  villages  about  here ; many  walk  eight  and 
ten  kos  to  get  their  medicine  (a  kos  is  two  miles). 
Our  indoor  patients  have  come  from  Jhansi,  Etawah, 
Cawnpur,  and  Fatehgurh.  The  ladies  of  other  mis- 
sions have  cooperated  most  heartily  with  me,  and  have 
sent  me  many  patients.  I still  have  charge  of  the 
Methodist  C.  M.  S.,  and  Miss  Chuckerbuttee’s  Or- 
phanages, the  Convert’s  Home  and  Junior  School, 
though  Mrs.  Andrews  has  relieved  me  of  much  anxiety 
at  the  latter  place.” 

Thinking  of  all  the  dirty,  distasteful  work  the  year 
had  seen,  Dr.  Caldwell  quotes  in  concluding  from 
Tennyson : 


128 


India 


“ Oh,  how  could  I serve  in  the  wards  if  the  Hope  of  the  World 
were  a lie  ? 

How  could  I bear  with  the  sights  and  the  loathsome  smells 
of  disease, 

But  that  he  said  ‘ Ye  do  it  to  me,  when  ye  do  it  to  these  ! ’ ” 

Dr.  W.  J.  Wanless  with  his  wife,  who  had  taken 
nurse  training  and  was  his  first  helper,  went  to  Sangli 
in  1889,  expecting  to  spend  fully  a year  in  language 
study.  But  the  sick  had  heard  of  their  coming  and 
eighteen  hours  after  their  arrival  they  began  to  come, 
half  a dozen  the  first  day,  at  the  end  of  a week  a 
score  daily.  They  were  obliged  to  open  a dispensary 
and  to  plan  an  hour  for  treatment.  A bath  room  five 
by  eight  feet,  with  shelves  made  from  packing  boxes, 
was  the  compounding  room,  Mrs.  Wanless  the  dis- 
penser. Another  room  eight  by  twelve  feet,  with  a 
table  and  chair,  served  as  a consulting  room.  The 
open  ground  in  front  of  the  school  was  the  waiting 
room. 

The  patients  began  to  arrive  at  daybreak,  continuing 
to  come  till  ten  o’clock,  the  hour  for  dispensing.  A 
native  Christian  assistant  was  secured  as  interpreter 
and  medical  helper.  He,  aided  by  other  native 
preachers,  taught  and  preached  to  the  people  while 
they  gathered  and  waited  for  treatment.  Scripture 
texts  were  pasted  on  their  medicine  bottles  and  tracts 
distributed. 

Dr.  Wanless  has  one  desire, — to  make  Christ  known. 
In  this  way,  from  the  very  beginning,  he  could  do  it 
indirectly.  The  work  kept  on  growing ; another 
place  was  sought.  The  work  grew  even  more  rap- 
129 


Opportunities 


idly.  At  the  end  of  two  years  it  was  decided  to  locate 
the  medical  work  at  Miraj.  A ten  acre  field  was  soon 
selected.  They  began  to  pray  and  negotiate,  and  in 
six  months  it  was  in  possession  of  the  mission.  Some 
native  houses  were  on  the  very  corner  which  was  de- 
sired for  the  hospital.  The  prime  minister  of  Miraj 
state  had  meanwhile  put  himself  under  Dr.  Wanless 
for  treatment.  Matters  were  placed  in  his  hands  and 
Dr.  Wanless  took  his  family  off  for  the  hot  season, 
only  to  find  a month  later  that  everything  had  been 
removed  without  the  usual  Oriental  delays  of  months 
and  years. 

Obstacle  after  obstacle  was  taken  away,  honors  from 
high  officials  shown  publicly.  One  of  the  chief  ob- 
jectors to  the  mission  work  was  won  by  his  son’s  cure 
of  brain  disease,  and  Dr.  Wanless  one  morning  at  the 
temporary  dispensary  found  this  old  bigoted  Brahmin 
listening  attentively  to  the  gospel  from  the  lips  of  a 
native  Christian,  a man  who  had  previously  been  a 
low-caste  and  whose  very  shadow  that  Brahmin  would 
have  previously  avoided.  In  appreciation  of  what 
had  been  done  for  his  son  he  brought  nearly  half  a 
month’s  pay  and  repeatedly  called  on  the  doctor  to 
treat  his  high  caste  family. 

When  difficulties  arose  about  the  building  material, 
the  prime  minister  came  to  the  rescue  and  at  half  the 
cost  estimated  by  the  state  overseer,  a substantial  cut- 
stone  two-story  building,  with  lime  and  concrete  floors 
throughout,  for  fifty-six  patients,  complete  in  every 
way,  was  built  for  $10,000.  The  entire  fund  for  the 
erection  of  this  hospital,  together  with  the  adjoining 

13° 


India 


outdoor  dispensary  and  physician’s  residence,  was  the 
gift  of  John  H.  Converse,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia. 
When  he  saw  the  photographs  of  the  finished  building 
he  said  it  was  the  best  investment  he  had  ever  made. 

The  hospital  was  opened  July  4,  1894,  and  the 
prime  minister  came  from  Poona,  160  miles,  at  great 
risk  to  his  life,  for  he  had  serious  heart  disease,  and 
made  a friendly  speech.  In  it  he  said  “The  man 
who  lives  according  to  the  teachings  of  the  Bible  can- 
not be  anything  but  a good  man.” 

At  first  the  people  demanded  powders,  fearing  pol- 
lution from  the  water  added  by  Christian  hands,  but 
ere  long  they  would  even  accept  liquid  animal  food 
prepared  in  the  hospital  at  their  expense,  though  nat- 
urally their  prejudice  is  far  more  intense  about  this 
than  about  the  so-called  polluted  water.  Caste  was 
disregarded  always  in  admitting  patients,  a matter  of 
as  great  surprise  to  the  low  as  to  the  high  caste. 

A Brahmin  patient  who  could  find  no  relief  else- 
where, during  the  two  days  of  preparation  for  a sur- 
gical operation  at  the  hospital,  attended  services  and 
learned  the  Bible  verse  on  the  marble  tablet  in  tire  hall- 
way. The  next  time  he  saw  the  doctor  after  recover- 
ing from  the  chloroform  after  the  operation,  he  greeted 
him  with  this  text  he  had  learned  by  heart:  “Inas- 
much as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these, 
my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me.” 

It  is  often  difficult  to  keep  the  people  from  regard- 
ing the  doctor  as  a god,  and  surgical  treatment  as 
miraculous.  And  who  can  deny  that  the  Lord  does 
permit  miracles,  medical  and  surgical,  to  be  done  in 


Opportunities 


his  name  ? It  costs  fifty  dollars  a year  to  support  a 
bed  in  the  Miraj  hospital,  one-third  the  cost  of  the 
cheapest  government  hospital  in  India.  There  are 
fifty-six  beds.  Protestants,  Roman  Catholics,  Moham- 
medans, Jains,  Brahmins,  other  caste  Hindus  to  the 
number  of  18,603  were  included  in  the  total  record 
of  1901.  When  the  plague  had  quarantined  Miraj 
this  could  not  stop  the  work.  Beds  were  occupied  by 
Brahmins  and  low  caste,  side  by  side,  and,  as  an  in- 
dication that  caste  prejudice  is  being  disarmed,  people 
do  not  object  now  as  formerly  to  having  their  friends 
die  in  the  hospital.  Fully  500  different  villages  were 
represented  in  1901,  often  as  many  as  seventy  in  a 
single  morning’s  dispensary  attendance. 

Of  no  other  medical  work  can  it  be  more  truly  said 
that  the  missionary  idea  is  ever  to  the  front,  the  aim 
being  to  make  every  part  of  it  tributary  to  the  dis- 
semination of  the  gospel. 

Famine  relief  work  was  vigorously  carried  on  last  year. 
The  Hindu  ideas  are  well  illustrated  by  one  woman 
who  came  for  help  with  a boy  and  girl,  twins.  The 
boy  looked  well-fed  and  healthy,  the  girl  almost  a 
skeleton.  The  mother  said:  “What  could  I do? 

After  I had  fed  the  boy  there  was  nothing  left  for  the 
girl.” 

War,  famine,  earthquake,  and  plague  made  1897  a 
terrible  year,  but  they  opened  the  way  for  a wide  dis- 
semination of  the  gospel  and,  as  in  China  many  years 
ago,  the  spirit  of  Christian  beneficence  which  came  to 
the  relief  of  perishing  millions  has  paved  the  way  for 
a cordial  reception  of  the  gospel  on  the  part  of  many. 

*32 


India 


At  our  hospitals  and  dispensaries  everything  possible 
was  done  to  meet  the  dreadful  needs. 

At  Ambala  is  the  Philadelphia  Hospital,  built  with 
the  Silver  Jubilee  Funds  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign 
Society,  with  headquarters  at  Philadelphia.  It  stands 
at  the  juncture  of  seven  streets,  on  a plot  of  four  acres 
which  also  contains  the  dispensary,  and  which  affords  a 
more  healthful  position  than  the  crowded  bazaar,  where 
they  were  at  first  meant  to  be  placed.  Dr.  Jessica  R. 
Carleton  has  her  headquarters  here.  The  work  is 
very  large. 

Dr.  S.  Armstrong  Hopkins  says  in  “ Within  the 
Purdah”:  “Our  medical  missionary  is  fortunate  if 

she  have  an  associate  medical  missionary  to  share  her 
labors  and  responsibilities,  or  even  a properly  trained 
and  efficient  nurse.  Without  these  her  burdens  are 
indeed  heavy.  She  has  the  entire  charge  of  her  mis- 
sionary home,  hospital,  dispensary,  and  training 
school  for  nurses.  The  native  servants  are  not  taught 
antiseptic  measures  and  know  nothing  about  medical 
or  surgical  cleanliness.  The  medical  missionary, 
therefore,  must  carefully  guard  every  patient  under 
her  charge,  else  contagion,  infection,  septic  fever, 
puerpal  fever,  cholera,  smallpox,  or  leprosy  may 
develop  in  the  wards  of  her  hospital,  and  run  such  a 
violent  course  as  to  necessitate  the  closing  up  of  the 
institution.” 

At  Lahore,  Dr.  Isa  Das  and  his  wife  Phebe  had 
been  doing  a fine  medical  work,  both  of  them  earnest 
Christians  and  efficient  co-laborers.  Within  a few 
months  of  each  other  they  died  in  1897,  and  Dr. 

1 33 


Opportunities 


Emily  Marston  had  to  be  transferred  from  Ambala  to 
take  their  place.  The  training  of  native  workers  is  a 
great  feature  of  our  medical  missions,  and  every 
medical  missionary  must  be  capable  of  doing  his  part 
of  the  work.  The  native  physicians,  men  and  women, 
have  a great  field  before  them  and  many  noble  prac- 
titioners are  of  Asiatic  birth. 

The  leper  work  of  India  has  been  a marvelous 
record  of  God’s  power.  At  Sabathu,  where  Dr.  John 
Newton  spent  fourteen  years,  forty  of  the  lepers  are 
professing  Christians.  The  Mission  to  Lepers  in 
India  and  the  East,  with  headquarters  in  Scotland, 
supports  this  asylum  with  the  help  of  private  gifts, 
but  our  missionaries  minister  to  their  needs.  Dr. 
Marcus  Carleton  is  now  in  charge.  Our  missionaries 
do  much  for  the  lepers  in  many  other  places  and  the 
work  is  blessed.  To  this  day  Dr.  John  Newton’s 
name  is  lovingly  remembered.  It  is  not  only  Roman 
Catholics  who  have  led  self-sacrificing  lives  of  ministry 
among  them.  Father  Damien’s  record  is  brief  com- 
pared to  Dr.  Newton’s,  but  the  latter  refused  to  have 
any  publicity  given  him  in  any  way,  and  no  full  ac- 
count of  his  life  has  ever  been  published.  We  ought 
to  know  our  own  heroes  of  the  mission  field  better, 
be  they  here  or  in  heaven. 

“Whenever  I feel  depressed  I always  visit  the  leper 
asylum,”  said  a Congregational  missionary,  “ and  the 
beautiful  Christianity  of  the  lepers  always  inspires  me 
anew.” 

We  do  not  realize  how  poorly  we  have  supplied  the 
needs  of  our  foreign  hospitals  with  what  are  here 
•34 


DR.  JOHN  NEWTON. 


India 


deemed  essentials.  Just  before  Dr.  Helen  Newton 
and  her  mother  returned  to  India  (the  doctor  happy 
that  she  was  to  have  a little  hospital  built  for  women 
in  Ferozepore),  Mrs.  Newton  said  : “We  were  look- 

ing at  rolling  chairs,  and  my  daughter  remarked  how 
she  wished  she  had  one,  but  she  turned  resolutely 
away  for  she  knew  that  it  was  of  no  use. 

Passing  on  a little  further  I met  another  friend,  rich 
and  generous.  I told  her  what  I had  just  heard. 
Mrs.  Newton  again  appeared,  finishing  her  purchases, 
and  she  was  given  the  joy  of  ordering  a chair  at  once 
for  the  future  hospital.  Would  one  chair  to  a hos- 
pital here  be  considered  adequate  ? 

India  has  been  cursed  with  the  opium  trade.  In 
1773  the  East  India  Company  entered  into  the  busi- 
ness, closing  it  in  1834,  when  British  officials  took 
up  the  nefarious  trade.  Thousands  of  tons  are  yearly 
exported.  The  revenue  to  England  is  $1.10  a pound. 
“ The  opium  traffic  is  the  sum  of  all  villanies.”  Only 
government  factories  can  have  this  production.  And 
China  also  according  to  a native  now  “knows  hell,” 
because  of  opium. 

India  has  suffered  from  plague,  pestilence,  and 
famine.  But  this  is  not  all.  She  has  suffered,  and 
horribly,  from  retrenchment  in  the  work.  All  lands 
have  suffered  from  this  bane  of  mission  work  which 
has  sent  millions  back  to  despair  and  heathenism, 
has  closed  schools  and  hospitals,  has  deprived  help- 
less native  workers  of  all  means  of  support  among 
poverty  stricken,  starving  multitudes,  and  has  broken 
down  one  worker  after  another  who  has  vainly  starved 
1 35 


Opportunities 


himself — or  herself— rather  than  kill  the  work  which 
is  dearer  than  life.  Let  Rev.  Jacob  Chamberlain, 
M.  D.,  D.  D.,  of  Mandanapelle,  India,  that  veteran 
hero  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  speak  on  this 
subject.  We  could  parallel  his  testimony  with  a 
painful  host  of  others.  We  quote  from  the  Mission- 
ary Review  of  the  l For  hi,  for  April,  1899  : 

“Dr.  Anna  B.,  sent  out  five  years  before,  had 
opened  up  a fine  and  desperately  needed  medical 
work  in  Bilnagar.  Her  hospital  with  twenty  beds  for 
in-patients  was  always  filled,  while  the  hundred  out- 
patients daily  were  blessed  with  her  medicines,  her 
skill  and  her  prayers.  The  seeds  of  the  Kingdom 
were  daily  sown  in  hundreds  of  grateful  souls.  Some 
seemed  germinating.  More  patients  were  begging 
for  treatment  than  she  could  possibly  receive  on  her 
appropriations.  She  had  sent  a strong  appeal  for  an 
increase  in  funds,  and  an  assistant  or  associate,  as  the 
work  was  more  than  she  could  do. 

“‘Impossible.  Funds  not  coming  in.  Cannot  keep 
up  even  present  appropriations.  Retrench  fifteen  per 
cent,  from  January  1st.  Imperative.’ 

“ Sick  at  heart  she  went  over  every  expenditure  to 
see  where  she  could  possibly  cut  down.  Medicines 
and  necessaries  for  treatment  must  be  had.  A small 
reduction  was  possible  in  a few  minor  points,  but  on 
‘ diets  of  in-patients  ’ must  nearly  the  whole  reduction 
fall.  There  was  no  help  for  it.  Hereafter  but  ten  of 
the  twenty  beds  could  be  filled,  for  the  people  coming 
from  distant  villages  were  all  too  poor  to  provide  food 
for  themselves  away  from  home.  Ten  beds  were 

136 


India 


packed  away,  as  they  were  vacated.  The  remaining 
ten  were  all  filled  with  important  cases,  and  Dr.  Anna 
prayed  for  a hard  heart,  to  enable  her  to  refuse  others. 

“ ‘ Will  the  dear  lady  doctor  please  come  and  see  a 
dying  woman  in  Kallur,  four  miles  north  ? ’ A young 
mother,  fourteen  years  old,  whom  native  mid  wives  had 
horribly  maltreated,  from  want  of  skill  and  knowledge, 
was  what  she  found.  Her  life  still  might  be  saved  by 
the  utmost  skill  and  care,  if  she  could  be  placed  in  a 
hospital,  not  otherwise.  ‘ Bring  her  in  on  her  bed. 
I will  try.’  Half  way  back  and  Dr.  Anna  was  stopped 
at  a hamlet  to  see  a young  girl,  terribly  gored  by  a 
bull.  * Bring  her  in  too.’  As  she  neared  the  hospital 
a woman  wrapped  in  a blanket  tied  as  a hammock  to 
a long  bamboo,  and  ‘ borne  of  four  ’ was  laid  on  the 
veranda  of  the  hospital  with  foot  dropping  off  from 
gangrene,  the  result  of  the  bite  of  a poisonous,  but 
not  deadly,  serpent.  The  love  of  Jesus  pulsed  in  Dr. 
Anna’s  heart.  She  could  not  say  no — ‘ Take  her  in  ’ 
and  so  of  two  others  equally  needy  who  came.  But 
how  were  they  to  be  fed  ? 

“ Dr.  Anna  had  already  devoted  all  she  could  spare 
from  her  small  salary  to  purchase  additional  medicines 
for  the  growing  throngs  of  out-patients.  Now,  to  feed 
these,  her  suffering  sisters,  while  they  were  being 
healed,  she  gave  up  the  more  expensive  articles  in  her 
own  diet,  meat,  eggs,  fruit,  etc.,  and  struggled  on, 
giving  every  energy  to  her  increasing  number  of 
patients,  and  working  harder,  if  possible,  even  on  her 
unnourishing  diet.  Months  thus  sped  by.  One 
morning  she  fainted  at  her  work  and  fell  upon  the 
137 


Opportunities 


masonry  floor  of  her  hospital.  An  adjacent  mission- 
ary was  hastily  called.  An  English  doctor  of  experi- 
ence and  skill  came  from  the  large  town  near. 
* Nervous  prostration  and  threatening  paralysis,  from 
overstrain  and  lack  of  nourishment.  Must  be  put  on 
the  first  steamer  and  sent  home  as  the  only  hope,’  was 
his  unhesitating  verdict. 

“ Her  Board  had  saved  one  hundred  dollars  by  the 
cut,  and  paid  two  hundred  dollars  to  take  home  poor 
wrecked  Dr.  Anna  B.  The  sick  were  deserted,  and 
the  hospital  closed.  The  murmur  went  around  the 
home  land,  ‘ What  a mysterious  Providence  that  strong 
and  vigorous  Dr.  Anna  B.  should  be  stricken  down 
after  only  six  years  of  service,  and  just  when  she  was 
most  needed.’ 

“ Retrenchment  means  the  dismissing  of  faithful 
catechists  in  half-instructed  little  village  congregations, 
of  those  too  poor  and  hungry  themselves  to  feed  the 
catechist  and  his  family.  It  means  the  sending  away 
of  Bible  women,  and  zenana  workers  who  are  gaining 
an  entrance,  or  are  eagerly  welcomed  in  many  houses 
where  ‘the  sweetest  Name’  is  beginning  to  be  lisped. 

“ It  means  the  closing  of  scores  of  day-schools  at- 
tended by  the  worshipers  of  Vishnu  or  followers  of 
Mohammed,  who,  in  those  schools,  are  daily  reading 
and  learning  the  teachings  of  the  Nazarene.  It  means 
the  giving  up  of  preaching  tours  in  the  ‘ regions  be- 
yond,’ with  glad  invitations  to  the  gospel  feast.  It 
means  the  closing  or  cutting  down  of  schools  for  train- 
ing the  Timothys  and  the  Loises,  yes,  the  Barnabases 
138 


India 


and  Pauls  of  the  Militant  Church  of  Christ  in  India. 
It  means  the  sending  out  word  to  all  seeking  com- 
munities who  are  too  poor  to  pay  for  a teacher,  ‘ Don’t 
give  up  your  idols  and  avow  yourselves  Christians 
now,  for  we  can  send  no  one  to  teach  you  how  to  find 
and  follow  Jesus  ! ’ 

“O  Christ,  who  seest  thy  crippled  work,  thy  de- 
layed chariot  in  India  ; rouse,  rouse  thy  people  to  a 
just  appreciation  of  what  they  themselves  owe  to 
thee;  of  what  thou  dost  expect  of  them.  Summon, 
with  insistant  voice,  those  redeemed  by  thee  to  be- 
come thy  working  partners  in  that  stupendous  work, 
the  salvation  of  a sin-lost  world.” 


Summary  of  Medical  Missionary  Work 


American  Baptist  Missionary  Union. 


Rangoon,  Burma 

H. 

Nellore,  Madras  H.  D. 

Bhamo 

H. 

D. 

Nalgonda 

medical  work 

Hsipaw 

H. 

Secunderabad 

medical  work 

Mongnai 

Namkham 

H. 

D. 

Impur 

medical  work 

American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions. 


Ahmednagar,  Bombay  H.  D.  Dindigul 

H. 

D. 

Bombay 

D.  Manepy,  Jaffna,  Ceylon 

H. 

D. 

Rahuri 

D.  Inuvil 

H. 

D. 

Sholapur 

D.  Karadive 

H. 

D. 

Madura,  Madras 

2 H.  2 D. 

American  Lutheran  Missionary  Society. 
Gunter  H. 


Baptist  Missionary  Society,  English. 

Khoolna,  Bengal  D.  Delhi,  Punjab 

Baukipore  D.  Muttra 

Palwal,  N.  W.  P.  2 II.  3 D. 

Basel  Evangelical  Mission,  German. 

Calicut,  Malabar  H.  D. 

Codocal,  Malabar  H.  D. 

Vaniyankulam,  Malabar  H.  D. 

Bethel  Santhal  Mission,  India. 

Bethany,  Bengal  H.  8 D.  Bethlehem 
Bethel,  Bengal  D.  Bethsaida 

Bethesda,  Bengal  D. 

140 


2 D. 
D. 


D. 

D. 


Summary  of  Medical  Missionary  Work 


Canadian  Presbyterian  Mission. 


Neemuch,  C.  I. 
Arnkhut,  C.  I. 
Indore,  C.  I. 


H.  3 D.  Rutlam,  C.  I. 
medical  work  Ujjain,  C.  I. 
li.  2 D. 


D. 

D. 


Church  Missionary  Society,  English. 


Santirajpur,  Bengal 
Rewah,  N.  W.  P. 
Nigolian,  N.  W.  P. 
Phil  Country 
Agra,  N.  W.  P. 
Amritsar,  Punjab 
jandiala,  Punjab 
Bootala,  Punjab 
Beas,  Punjab 
Sultanwind,  Punjab 
Ram  Das,  Punjab 
Narowal,  Punjab 
Islamabad,  Punjab 


H.  D. 

medical  work 

D. 

medical  work 


H. 


H. 


D. 

D. 

D. 

D. 

D. 

D. 


reporting  the  largest  num- 
ber of  treatments  from 
the  mission  field,  127,016 


medical  work 


Srinagar,  Kashmir  II.  D. 


Hazara,  Punjab 

Tank,  Punjab 

H.  D. 

Peshawar,  Punjab 

H.  D. 

Dera  Gaza  Khan, 

Punjab 

Bannu,  Punjab 

H.  D. 

H.3D. 

Dera  Ismail  Khan,  Punjab 

Multan,  Punjab 

H.  D. 

H.  D. 

Quetta, Baluchistan  H.  D. 

Church  of  England  Zenana  Missionary  Society. 

Bangalore,  Mysore  H.  D.  Jandiala  H.2D. 

Amritsar,  Punjab  H.  3 D.  Ratnapur,  Bengal  D. 

Dera  Gaza  Khan,  Punjab  H.  D.  Quetta,  Baluchistan  H.  D. 

Tarn  Taran  H.  3 D.  Dummaguden,  Madras  D. 

Peshawar  H. 


Gujrat,  Punjab 

Sialkot 

Sholinghur 


Church  of  Scotland. 

H.  D.  Poona,  Bombay  PI.  2 D. 

2 H.  2 D.  Kalimpong, Bhutan  H.  2 D. 

D. 


Edinburgh  Medical  Missionary  Society. 

Agra,  N.  W.  P.  D.  Medical  Training  Institute. 

141 


Opportunities 


English  Baptist  Missionary  Society. 

Delhi,  Punjab  2 D.  Palwal,  N.  W.  P.  2 II.  2 D. 

Bhiwani  II.  D.  Khoolna,  Bengal  D. 

Kharrar  D. 

Foreign  Missionary  Society,  Lutheran  Church,  General  Council. 
Rajahmundur  medical  work 

Foreign  Christian  Missionary  Society,  United  States. 


Hurda,  C.  P. 

II.  2 D. 

Damoh 

D. 

Timarni 

II.  D. 

Akita 

D. 

Mungeli 

H.  2 D. 

Friends'  Foreign  Mission  Association,  English. 

Iloshangabad,  C. 

P.  H.  D. 

Seoni  Malwa 

D. 

I tarsi 

D. 

Sohagpur 

D. 

Bankheri 

D. 

Sihore,  C.  I. 

D. 

Jaffna  Medical  Mission. 

Jaffna,  Ceylon  medical  work 

London  Missionary  Society. 

Jiaganj,  Bengal  H.  D.  Kachwa,  N.  W.  P.  H.  D. 

Jammulamadugu,  Madras  H.  D.  Almora,  N.  W.  P-  II.  3 D. 

Neyoor,  Madras  3 H.  15  D.  18  medical  evangelists 

Methodist  Episcopal  Missionary  Society,  United  States. 

Bareilly,  N.  \V.  P.  2 H.  D.  Pakur,  Bengal  D. 

Dwarahat,  H.  D.  Bidar  medical  work 

Baroda,  Bombay  H.  D.  Gulbarga,  Madras  2 D. 

Kumaon  medical  work 

Moravian  Missionary  Society,  German. 

Leh,  Lesser  Tibet  H.  D. 

North  India  School  of  Medicine  for  ATative  Christian  IVomen. 

Lodiana,  Punjab  medical  work 

at  Lodiana  is  an  independent  hospital,  Charlotte,  4 D. 

142 


Summary  of  Medical  Missionary  Work 


Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  North. 


Lodiana,  Punjab 


D. 


M.  Maud  Allen,  M.  D. 

Sarah  Vrooman,  M.  D. 

Lahore  D- 

Mrs.  Emily  Marston,  M.  D. 
Rev.  J.  Harris  Orbison,  M.  D, 
Founded 

Ferozepore  H.  2 D.  1880 

Rev.  F.  J.  Newton,  M.  D. 
Helen  R.  Newton,  M.  D. 

Ambala  Philadelphia  H.  D.  1891 

Jessica  R.  Carleton,  M.  D. 

Sabathu  2 H.  2D.  1S66 

M.  B.  Carleton,  M.  D. 

D.  1894 

Rev.  C.  W.  Forman,  M.  D. 
Sara  Seward  H.  D.  1891 

Bertha  T.  Caldwell,  M.  D. 
Margaret  Morris,  M.  D. 
medical  work  Alice  Mitchell,  M.  D. 
medical  work  Victoria  McArthur,  M.  D. 
medical  work  Mary  J.  Stewart,  M.  D. 

4 D. 

Alexander  S.  Wilson,  M.  D. 
Mary  Riggs  Noble,  M.  D. 

2 H.  2 D.  1983 
W.  J Wanless,  M.  D 
J.  R.  Williamson  appointed  to  India 

Presbyterian  Church  of  England. 

Rampore  Bauleah,  Bengal  H.  D. 

Presbyterian  Church  of  Ireland. 

Borsad,  Bombay  H.  D. 

Presbyterian  Church  of  Wales. 

Karimganj,  Assam  D. 

Laitlyngkot  H.  D. 

Jaintia  medical  work 

Ranaghat  Medical  Mission. 

Ranaghat,  Bengal  2 H.  4 D. 

!43 


Saharanpur,  N.  W.  P. 
Allahabad 


Woodstock 

Ratnagiri 

Vengurle 

Panhala 


Mi  raj 


Opportunities 


Reformed  Church  in  A m erica,  Dutch. 


Vellore,  Madras 

H. 

D. 

Mandanapelle 

D. 

Ranipettai 

H. 

D. 

Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel , English. 


Toungoo,  Burma  H.  D.  Lahore,  Punjab  H. 

Rangoon  H.  Nazareth,  Madras  H.  D. 

Cawnpore,  N.  \V.  P.  H.  D.  Trichinopoly,  Madras  D. 
Chaibassa,  Bengal  H.  D.  Tinevelly,  Madras  H. 

Hazaribagh,  Bengal  H.  3 D. 


United  Free  Presbyterian  Church,  Scotch. 


Ajmere,  Rajputana  2 H.  2D.  Jalna,  Hyderabad  H.  D. 
Jodhpore,  Rajputana  H.  D.  Madras,  Madras  H.2D. 

Nasirabad,  Rajputana  Id.  D.  Thana,  Bombay  D. 

Udaipur,  Rajputana  H.  D.  Walajabad,  Madras  H.  D. 

Ivalna,  Bengal  H.  D.  Wardha,  C.  P.  H.  2D. 

Chakai,  Bengal  H.  D.  Nagpoor,  C.  P.  H.  D. 


Wesleyan  Missionary  Society. 

Mannargudi,  Madras  D. 

Batticaloa,  Ceylon  4 D. 

Welimada,  Ceylon  H.  D. 

Woman’s  Union  Missionary  Society. 
Jhansi,  N.  W.  P.  H.  D. 

Zenana  Bible  and  Medical  Mission  Society. 


Patna,  Bengal 

H. 

D. 

Lucknow,  N.  W.  P, 

H. 

4d. 

Ajoudhya 

H. 

D. 

Benares 

H. 

2 D. 

144 


WESTMINSTER  HOSPITA).,  UKUMIA, 


CHAPTER  VI 


PERSIA 

The  journey  of  the  first  medical  missionary  to  Per- 
sia in  1835,  the  year  after  the  first  permanent  mission 
was  established,  would  seem  strange  to  most  of  us. 
In  May,  1835,  Dr.  Asahel  Grant  and  his  wife  sailed 
from  Boston,  and  on  September  17th  began  their  over- 
land journey  to  Urumia.  The  roads  were,  and  are 
still,  indescribably  ill-made  and  kept.  At  night  they 
pitched  their  tent  or  slept  in  khans  without  floor  or 
window.  These  were  without  chair  or  table,  and 
their  beds  were  spread  on  piles  of  leaves,  with  their 
baggage  round  them.  In  Kurdistan  they  formed  a 
kind  of  fort  each  night  with  their  boxes  and  bales. 

After  traveling  six  hundred  miles  in  this  way,  they 
reached  Tabriz  and  found  the  cholera  raging  there. 
A week  later  Dr.  Grant  and  Mr.  Perkins  moved  to 
Urumia,  where  in  a few  days  the  doctor’s  skill  won 
the  favor  of  the  governor,  and  he  secured  premises  in 
the  city  which  have  been  occupied  ever  since.  On 
the  west  rise  the  mountains ; on  the  east  is  the  lake, 
4,100  feet  above  the  sea,  so  salt  that  no  fish  can  live 
in  it.  The  plain,  five  hundred  miles  square  and  with 
three  hundred  villages,  is  a most  inviting  field  for 
medical  missions.  Urumia  has  a population  of 
60,000. 


US 


Opportunities 


Persia  is  equal  in  area  to  France,  Austria,  Spain, 
and  Italy.  The  medical  missionaries  are  ten  Ameri- 
can Presbyterian  men  and  women,  and  seven  phy- 
sicians of  the  English  Church  Missionary  Society. 

There  are  no  native  hospitals,  dispensaries,  or  luna- 
tic asylums.  A lunatic  is  chained,  with  his  feet  fast- 
ened in  stocks,  and  is  constantly  beaten  and  half 
starved,  the  idea  being  that  if  badly  treated  the  devil 
will  the  sooner  leave  him.  Then  as  a last  resource, 
when  the  friends  have  grown  tired  of  giving  even  this 
sort  of  care  to  their  relative,  the  lunatic  is  given  free- 
dom in  the  desert.  His  hands  are  tied  behind  his 
back,  and  he  is  led  out  into  the  desert,  never  to  be 
heard  of  again. 

Persian  doctors  “divide  all  diseases  into  two  gen- 
eral classes,  the  hot  and  the  cold ; and  all  remedies 
and  articles  of  diet  have  the  same  classification.  Thus 
the  meat  of  a hen  is  heating  and  therefore  injurious  to 
persons  who  have  fevers ; the  flesh  of  a rooster,  how- 
ever, is  very  cooling,  and  soup  of  it  may  be  taken  in 
febrile  disorders.  The  water  of  watermelons  is  con- 
stantly given  in  large  quantities  in  all  inflammatory 
disorders.  The  flesh  of  a sheep  is  heating,  that  of  a 
goat  is  cooling.  When  they  have  tried  cooling  reme- 
dies for  a long  time  and  find  that  these  have  been  un- 
availing, they  will  say,  ‘ Perhaps  the  patient  has  had 
too  much  of  it ; we  will  change  the  treatment  and  try 
something  hot.’  One  last  resource  remains  to  the 
Persian  physician  to  save  his  own  reputation— to 
recommend  the  patient  to  try  a forty  days’  course  of  a 
decoction  made  from  a certain  root  which  grows  in 
146 


Persia 


the  country.  The  victim  must  take  it  forty  days  con- 
secutively, three  times  a day,  about  half  a pint  at  a 
time,  after  food,  and  must  never  once  lose  his  temper, 
or  it  will  be  of  no  avail.  The  fortieth  day  the  patient 
returns  probably  worse  than  before,  or  complains  of 
feeling  certainly  none  the  better,  and  at  once  the  phy- 
sician says,  ‘ But  have  you  lost  your  temper  ? ’ Of 
course  he  has,  and  then  it  is  not  the  physician’s  fault, 
but  the  patient’s.”  The  diseases  are  like  those  at  home, 
but  that  bad  skin  and  eye  diseases  are  more  common. 

They  have  no  chloroform.  If  amputating  a limb, 
they  simply  chop  and  saw  it  off  without  regard  to  the 
sufferer.  To  stop  the  flow  of  blood  the  stump  is 
dipped  into  a cauldron  of  boiling  butter,  and  cauter- 
ized. This  saves  the  patient’s  life. 

Women  and  children  endure  a vast  amount  of  suf- 
ering,  “encouraged — to  say  the  least  of  it,  practiced 
— and  sanctioned  by  the  Mohammedan  religion.”  In 
parts  of  Persia  men  physicians  can  treat  Mohammedan 
women  patients  quite  freely. 

“But,  oh!  how  heartrending  it  was,  time  after 
time,  when  one  thought  that  an  operation  might  save 
a life,  to  hear  the  answer  given  by  the  husband  when 
approached  on  the  subject,  ‘Better  let  her  die  than 
see  a man ; it  is  easy  enough  to  get  another  wife ; ’ ” 
— thus  wrote  Miss  Bird  from  Julfa  where  a hospital  of 
the  English  Church  Missionary  Society  is  situated. 

Children  are  brought  to  our  doctors  with  extensive 
burns,  which  are  covered  with  manure.  To  cleanse 
such  a wound  perfectly  from  the  offensive  material  is 
almost  impossible.  The  eye  of  a mouse  was  the  rnedi- 
147 


Opportunities 


cine  given  to  a child  for  hernia.  It  is  a marvel  that  a 
baby  does  not  suffocate  in  his  cradle  (where  he  lies 
tightly  bound,  with  wooden  rings  at  the  top-bar  to  rattle 
him  to  sleep  when  rocked) — for  a dark  cloth  like  a great 
bag  is  spread  over  baby,  cradle  and  all.  At  birth  he 
is  thoroughly  covered  with  salt,  then  wrapped  in 
swaddling  clothes.  The  salt  is  very  apt  to  get  into 
the  eyes  and  make  them  sore.  Little  girls  hardly 
more  than  infants  themselves  have  the  babies  strapped 
on  their  backs  and  run  about,  playing  ball.  Bad 
results  must  often  follow  to  both  baby  and  bearer.  A 
charm  round  the  neck  is  supposed  to  keep  off  the 
“evil  eye”  which  otherwise  gives  dreadful  diseases. 

Women  are  for  the  most  part  put  on  a level  with 
beasts  of  burden.  Buffaloes  and  oxen  are  cared  for 
more  tenderly  than  wives,  and  have  a money  value 
far  exceeding  theirs.  No  such  words  as  home  and  wife 
are  to  be  found,  but  only  “house”  and  “woman.” 
This  is  the  usual  story  in  lands  not  Christian. 

Dr.  Grant  from  the  very  first  had  throngs  at  his 
dispensary.  He  treated  all  classes  alike.  All  were 
won  by  his  skill  and  the  permanent  success  of  the 
mission  to-day  is  really  largely  due  to  him.  He  died 
in  1844,  his  brief  life  a wonderful  tribute  to  the  power 
God  gives  a medical  missionary. 

It  is  more  than  sixty  years  since  his  work  began 
and  at  least  once  in  that  period  the  mission  at  Urumia 
passed  through  a crisis  when,  if  it  had  not  been  for 
the  influence  of  the  medical  work,  it  might  have  been 
utterly  destroyed.  Such  a crisis  came  in  1880,  when 
the  Kurdish  hordes  swept  down  like  a mountain  storm. 

148 


Persia 


The  poor  people  were  just  recovering  from  the 
effects  of  the  terrible  famine  and  were  gathering  in 
their  crops.  Months  before  this,  Dr.  Cochran  had 
attended  the  famous  Kurdish  Sheikh  Obeidullah  while 
ill  in  his  mountain  house,  and  now  the  governor  asked 
Dr.  Cochran  to  intercede.  Out  of  respect  for  the 
good  physician  the  Sheikh  consented  to  restrain  his 
wild  followers  for  a day.  The  Persian  troops  arrived 
in  time,  and  the  city  and  district  were  saved.1 

All  the  outlying  villages  of  the  plains  and  valleys 
send  patients  to  the  Urumia  hospital.  Some  of  these 
come  ten  and  fifteen  days’  journeys,  and  they  are  of 
all  nationalities,  grades  of  society,  and  religions.  Dr. 
J.  P.  Cochran  is  in  charge.  He  writes  : “ The  sick 

come  in  large  numbers  everyday.  They  flock  in  by 
sunrise  \ some  on  foot,  others  on  horses,  donkeys, 
oxen,  or  litters,  and  some  on  backs  of  friends.  The 
people  often  throw  the  sick  at  our  feet  saying : ‘ We 
shall  not  take  them  away  until  you  care  for  them  or 
let  them  die.’ 

“ To  many  poor  sufferers  the  wards  of  our  hospitals 
seem  almost  like  a paradise.  Others  say  ‘ Only  let  us 
stay  here  and  we  will  get  well.’  ” 

Mrs.  Isabella  Bird  Bishop,  who  penetrated  deep 
into  the  almost  unknown  and  unvisited  wilds  of  the 
Kurdish  mountains,  says,  “ Wherever  I went  in  Kur- 
distan, Dr.  Cochran’s  name  and  fame  were  known. 
I was  asked  about  his  health  and  whether  I had  seen 
him,  etc.” 

1 See  the  chapter  on  “ The  Kurdish  Raid  ” in  Wilson’s  “ Per- 
sian Life  and  Customs.” 

149 


Opportunities 


On  one  occasion  as  Dr.  Cochran  was  passing 
through  a little  village  near  Sain  Kullah,  Rassool,  a 
young  Moslem  on  whom  he  had  operated  a few  days 
before,  came  running  out  with  his  father.  “Before  I 
knew  what  they  were  about,  both  were  on  their  knees 
and  hands,  kissing  the  earth  over  which  my  horse  had 
trodden.  As  they  arose  I recognized  the  boy.” 

Mr.  Robert  E.  Speer  writes:  “Our  journey  from 

the  Aras  River  to  Ururnia,  was  one  long  testimony 
to  Dr.  Cochran’s  power.  He  was  our  passport  and 
defense.  The  chief  of  the  village  of  Evaglu,  the  first 
stop  of  the  journey,  was  chief  also  of  a band  respon- 
sible for  many  robberies  and  murders  on  this  road. 
He  came  to  see  Dr.  Cochran,  who  is  a quiet  little 
man,  and  who  looked  him  in  the  eye  and  said  : 
‘ So  you  are  the  rascal  who  commits  these  outrages  ? 
I have  heard  of  you.  Your  name  is  a stench  in  the 
country.  Would  it  not  be  well  to  stop  ? ’ The  man’s 
face  turned  pale,  and  he  soon  went  out  very  quietly. 

“ Those  who  speak  of  the  unpopularity  of  mission- 
aries should  have  been  with  us.  At  this  village  Mos- 
lem women  came  in  throngs.  Men  came  running 
from  the  fields  and  the  thrashing  floors.  Now  Dr. 
Cochran  was  the  healer.  Again  he  was  called  to  act 
as  referee  or  peacemaker.  At  Khoi  it  was  the  gover- 
nor who  sent  for  him,  and  insisted  on  his  spending 
the  day  with  him,  sending  him  on  later  with  soldiers 
to  overtake  us.  At  Gavilan  it  was  only  a village  full 
of  simple  folk  who  loved  him,  who  came  out  to  give 
him  a warm  welcome  home.  Ten  miles  from  Ururnia 
people  began  to  meet  us,  the  numbers  increasing  until 
150 


Persia 


a messenger  from  one  of  the  governors  came  leading  a 
gaily  caparisoned  horse,  to  be  taken  before  him  in 
honor  ; and  then  at  last  a poor  man,  whom  he  had 
healed,  came  running  out  and  kissed  his  foot  and  pros- 
trated himself  in  the  road  beside  him.  And  this  was  but 
the  beginning.  Each  day  would  bring  bishops  of  the 
old  Nestorian  Church  for  counsel,  prominent  Moslem 
ecclesiastics  for  help  or  healing,  governors  or  leading 
noblemen  to  congratulate  him  on  his  return,  and  to 
show  their  respect  for  him,  or  poor  people,  for  whom 
he  was  living,  to  bless  him.  All  this  showed  me, 
as  I had  never  seen  it  before,  how  a good  physi- 
cian can  lay  hold  of  the  hearts  and  minds  of  a 
people.” 

We  have  indeed  had  remarkable  men  in  Persia. 
Many  accounts  could  be  given  of  others  like  Dr. 
Holmes  of  Hamadan,  thrice  urged  to  become  personal 
physician  to  the  Shah,  whom  he  had  attended  when 
crown  prince.  The  old  Mollah,  Abdullah,  who  for 
years  ruled  Hamadan,  in  spite  of  governors  and  Shah, 
and  who  ordered  riot  and  pillage  as  he  pleased,  re- 
spected Dr.  Holmes,  and  never  touched  the  mission- 
ary work.  Dr.  Holmes  was  invested  by  the  Shah 
with  the  insignia  of  the  order  of  the  Lion  and  the  Sun, 
the  highest  in  his  power  to  confer. 

“Whatever  other  department  of  mission  work,” 
says  the  Rev.  Mr.  Tisdall  of  the  C.  M.  S.  at  Julfa, 
“as  at  present  conducted,  may  have  to  be  given  up, 
the  experience  of  perhaps  all  laborers  in  this  field 
shows  that  the  medical  mission  department  should 
not  only  be  retained,  but  largely  extended,  for  as  an 
I5I 


Opportunities 


evangelistic  agency,  it  would  be  hard  to  exaggerate  its 
value  and  importance.” 

Prior  to  1883  nothing  more  than  a dispensary  was 
at  any  of  our  Persian  stations.  Several  hundred  sick 
were  treated  each  year  in  the  villages,  but  the  dark  and 
badly  ventilated  houses,  so  noisy  and  uncomfortable, 
made  good  results  from  treatment  well-nigh  impos- 
sible. Then,  too,  the  prescriptions  were  seldom  fol- 
lowed out.  A number  of  powders  given  to  a patient 
would  all  be  taken  at  once,  as  he  thought  the  medicine 
might  as  well  cure  him  at  once  as  to  let  it  take  several 
days. 

When  Dr.  Cochran  returned  to  the  land  of  his  birth 
as  a medical  missionary  in  1878  he  found  he  could  do 
but  little  permanent  good  to  the  crowds  of  Moslems, 
Jews,  Nestorians,  Armenians,  Kurds,  to  the  halt,  the 
blind,  those  stricken  with  all  manner  of  diseases,  so  he 
wrote  to  the  Board  for  hospital  funds.  The  Board 
does  all  it  can  possibly  do  to  meet  the  demands  of  the 
seven  hundred  and  sixty-five  missionaries,  in  twenty- 
five  missions,  but  it  can  do  only  what  is  permitted  by 
the  amounts  given  by  the  churches.  These  are  always 
too  small  to  meet  the  exigencies.  When  the  love  of 
Christ  rules  supreme,  this  difficulty  will  be  entirely 
obviated. 

The  Board  could  do  nothing,  but  authorized  him  to 
collect  fundg  privately.  Fifteen  hundred  dollars  was 
the  sum  required.  Mr.  S.  M.  Clemens,  of  Buffalo, 
interested  many  in  this  enterprise  toward  which  he 
himself  contributed  generously.  The  first  contribu- 
tion came  from  the  Sunday  school  of  the  Westminster 
l52 


PATIENTS,  UREMIA. 


Persia 


Church,  in  Buffalo,  and  hence  the  name  Westminster 
Hospital.  In  1883  it  was  built  on  the  mission  prop- 
erty purchased  in  1879.  The  pleasant  grounds  are  on 
the  banks  of  a mountain  stream,  a mile  and  a half 
from  the  city,  on  high  land.  Four  acres  of  this  prop- 
erty are  inclosed  with  a wall  fifteen  feet  high.  Ave- 
nues with  sycamore,  pear,  and  poplar  trees,  divide  this 
inclosure  into  four  squares.  On  one  of  these  the 
hospital  is  built,  on  another  the  college,  on  the  other 
two  the  houses  of  the  president  of  the  college  and  of 
the  physician.  The  building  is  seventy  feet  by  thirty- 
five,  two  and  a half  stories  high,  faced  with  red  bricks ; 
with  two  large  wards  containing  ten  beds  each,  and  six 
smaller  ones  with  from  three  to  six,  or  forty  in  all.  The 
curtained  windows  are  filled  with  plants.  Friends 
have  sent  pretty  Christmas  cards  that  adorn  the  walls. 
The  brick  floors  have  carpets  here  and  there.  From 
the  flat  roof  the  lake,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
long,  may  be  seen,  and  the  plain  covered  with  gardens 
and  vineyards.  The  river  winds  down  a valley  sur- 
rounded by  a low  mountain  range.  Back  of  these, 
toward  the  setting  sun,  rises  a loftier  range  whose  tops 
are  always  covered  with  snow.  A more  beautiful 
view  it  would  be  hard  to  find. 

Having  no  endowment  and  no  means  of  support, 
Dr.  Cochran  was  authorized  to  apply  for  necessary 
funds,  and  a bed  fund  was  started,  of  $25  annually 
for  each  bed.  It  was  estimated  that  when  the  forty 
beds  were  taken,  this  sum  together  with  the  amount 
received  from  paying  patients,  would  afford  ample 
support. 


lS3 


Opportunities 


On  one  occasion  the  men  in  the  wards  were  very 
tired  and  restless  with  their  unwonted  confinement. 
Those  in  charge  were  at  their  wits’  end,  when  a box 
from  America  arrived  with  hospital  supplies  and  dolls. 
Telling  the  patients  that  some  young  ladies  had  just 
come  to  see  them  from  America,  the  dolls  were  dis- 
tributed to  all,  and  all  weariness  was  forgotten  in  the 
novel  and  delightful  visitors.  We  send  many  dolls  in 
our  mission  boxes,  but  we  rarely  think  of  them  as 
bringing  pleasure  to  grown  men. 

The  report  of  1901  says:  “The  hospital  was  open 
during  the  year  as  usual  and  the  dispensaries  were 
thronged  with  patients.  The  widespread  influence  of 
this  work  may  be  judged  by  the  statistics  (grand  total 
10,314  patients),  but  it  can  be  fully  appreciated  only 
by  personal  acquaintance.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  there 
is  not  one  man  in  a hundred,  without  distinction  of 
race  or  religion,  within  many  miles  of  the  hospital, 
who  would  not  in  case  of  need  gladly  go  there  rather 
than  be  treated  in  his  own  home.  No  other  agency 
can  possibly  do  more  along  spiritual  and  evangelistic 
lines.  A pleasant  fact  is  the  contribution  to  the 
hospital  both  last  year  and  this  of  $40  by  one  of  the 
leading  nobles  of  the  place.  Tire  generous  gift  of  a 
friend  in  America  has  made  it  possible  to  erect  a 
well-fitted  and  much-needed  operating  room.” 

In  1890  the  Howard  Annex  for  women  was  built. 
It  is  now  in  charge  of  Dr.  Emma  F.  Miller,  who 
joined  the  mission  in  1891,  and  whose  coming  was 
warmly  appreciated  by  Dr.  Cochran  and  by  all  inter- 
ested in  the  highest  usefulness  of  the  hospital.  She 
1 54 


Persia 


as  well  as  our  other  medical  missionaries  makes  tours 
into  the  adjacent  country. 

As  a sample  of  what  all  our  medical  missionaries 
do  daily  may  be  taken  one  day’s  regular  duties  of  Dr. 
Cochran  : “ First.  The  hospital,  requiring  from  one 
to  five  hours  a day.  Second.  Two  dispensary  days 
a week.  Third.  Two  lessons  with  the  medical  stu- 
dents, daily.  Fourth.  Taking  reports  of  the  several 
workers,  and  paying  wages,  and  planning  the  next 
month’s  work.  Fifth.  Superintendence,  with  Miss 
Van  Duzee,  of  the  Relief  Work.  Aside  from  these 
duties,  I receive  from  one  to  fifteen  visits,  and  see 
from  one  to  twenty-five  sick  persons  a day  outside  the 
hospital,  and  in  some  instances  I have  seen  as  many 
as  one  hundred  and  fifty  sick  in  one  day.  At  the 
same  time  several  sick  in  our  own  circles  have  had  to 
receive  medical  attention.” 

Urumia  is  not  a healthy  city.  The  three  miles  of 
wall  are  “surrounded  by  a moat,  a receptacle  for  the 
offal  of  the  slaughter  and  bath  houses  and  for  the 
drainage  of  the  city,  and  is,  of  course,  a fertile  breed- 
ing place  for  malaria.  Formerly  the  moat  was  full  of 
trees ; but  during  the  Kurdish  raid  they  interfered 
with  the  firing,  so  the  Nestorians  were  sent  out  to  cut 
them  down.” 

At  Tabriz  Dr.  Vanneman  has  been  called  on  med- 
ically by  almost  every  person  of  prominence,  the 
crown  prince,  governor,  officials,  nobility.  Every 
call  that  the  poor  have  made  has  been  answered, 
while  the  rich  often  have  been  declined  for  lack  of 
time. 


*55 


Opportunities 


The  Whipple  Hospital  and  dispensary  (their  own 
house,  given  by  the  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Whipple  on  their 
return  to  America),  was  put  in  order  by  gifts  from  Mrs. 
Reid,  of  Lake  Forest,  111.,  in  memory  of  her  daughter. 
The  Memorial  Fund  given  by  the  friends  of  Theodore 
Child,  who  died  in  Persia  a few  years  ago,  in  memory 
of  the  kindness  shown  him  by  our  medical  mission- 
aries, was  also  used,  and  there  is  every  hope  that  a 
useful  medical  work  for  Moslem  women  will  be  de- 
veloped. Dr.  Mary  E.  Bradford,  the  first  woman 
physician,  is  in  charge  of  this.  She  strives  to  make 
her  work  always  evangelistic,  speaking  to  every  one  of 
Christ.  Tours  form  an  important  part  of  her  work. 
On  one  occasion  she  wrote,  “ Summer,  with  its  scorch- 
ing sun,  dust,  and  troublesome  insects,  was  upon  us. 
With  it,  always  comes  desire  for  a change  from  the 
routine  of  medical  work,  especially  when  the  Mussul- 
man month  of  mourning  so  occupies  people  that  dispen- 
sary attendance  is  decreased.  So  August  ist,  taking 
Mosa  my  hostler  and  Zanal  my  cook,  we  started  for 
a tour  among  the  villages  and  a visit  to  Ardabil,  over 
near  the  Caspian  Sea.  For  a long  time  we  have  wanted 
a permanent  worker  in  that  city,  but  as  yet  no  one  has 
been  stationed  there  for  more  than  a few  months  at  a 
time.  A few  days  before  I arrived  a colporteur  of  the 
American  Bible  Society  had  moved  there  with  his 
family  and  would  sell  books  in  Ardabil  and  surround- 
ing places.” 

This  tour  lasted  twenty-two  days.  Fifteen  villages 
were  visited.  Varied  were  Dr.  Bradford’s  experi- 
ences, hard,  disgusting,  hopeless,  comforting,  in  turn. 
156 


Persia 


Passing  one  village,  a man  ran  out  of  the  field  to  say, 
“ I know  you.  You  are  Jesus’  people.  I have  two 
of  your  books,  I also  believe  in  Christ.”  At  one 
place  four  families  lived,  and  one  of  the  women  “ was 
of  sorrowful  spirit  for  she  had  no  child.  No  matter 
how  small  the  place  there  always  are  such  to  come 
and  beg  for  medicine.  (Their  own  remedy  is  to 
bleed  the  patient  in  the  back  of  the  hand.)  It  is  not 
altogether  the  love  of  children  that  impels  them,  but 
that  awful  dread  of  divorce,  or  what  is  worse,  the 
coming  of  another  wife  into  the  house.” 

On  another  tour  in  a previous  year  she  and  Miss 
Holliday  visited  a region  east  of  the  city,  seldom 
visited  before  by  Christian  teachers.  Large  crowds 
of  wild,  fanatical  women  gathered  round  their  tent 
in  every  village  at  which  they  stopped.  Their  nude, 
untaught  condition  appealed  most  pathetically  to  these 
messengers  of  gospel  light.  In  one  village  they  met 
friends  of  a former  house-patient  in  Tabriz,  which  put 
them  at  once  on  a friendly  footing  with  the  whole 
community.  The  report  of  1901  of  the  Presbyterian 
Board  shows  how  essential  are  more  medical  mission- 
aries. Teheran  having  no  medical  man  among  our 
mission  workers,  the  Ferry  Hospital  must  be  closed. 
E.  T.  Lawrence,  M.  D.,  and  J.  Arthur  Funk,  M.  D., 
were  assigned  to  Teheran  by  the  Board,  in  June  1902. 

“Dr.  Wishard  not  having  been  able  to  return,  the 
hospital  was  not  reopened,  but  the  work  of  the  med- 
ical class  and  the  dispensaries  was  maintained  by  Dr. 
Mary  Smith,  who  writes  : 

“ ‘ At  the  beginning  of  the  winter  there  were  many 
*57 


Opportunities 


applicants  for  admission  to  the  hospital,  and  it  was 
hard  to  persuade  some  that  we  were  not  deceiving 
them  when  we  told  them  we  could  not  take 
them  in.  They  would  sit  down  and  say,  “ Oh,  but 
one  of  our  neighbors  was  here  last  year,  and  he  said 
all  that  we  had  to  do  was  to  come  and  you  would  take 
care  of  us,  and  the  great  doctor  would  make  us  well. 
We  have  come  a long  distance  and  have  no  friends  in 
the  city.”  They  could  not  know  that  it  was  as  hard 
for  us  to  send  them  away  uncared  for  as  for  them 
to  go. 

“ ‘It  falls  to  the  lot  of  the  doctor  to  see  much  of 
bitterness  and  sorrow  in  the  lives  of  the  patients. 
One  woman,  a few  days  ago,  said:  “I  wish  you 

would  give  me  some  medicine  to  make  me  die  soon.” 
I said,  “Oh,  don’t  talk  that  way;  it  is  very  wrong.” 
She  replied,  “What  have  1 to  live  for?  I had  a 
husband  and  children,  but  they  are  gone,  even  the 
little  one  I had  in  my  arms  the  last  time  I was  here  is 
dead,  and  I am  sick  and  cannot  get  bread  to  eat.” 
As  I talked  to  her  of  God,  the  loving  Father,  ready 
to  comfort  those  in  sorrow  and  give  help  to  those  who 
trust  in  him,  I was  filled  with  the  thought  of  what  it 
must  be  to  try  to  bear  such  sorrow  without  the  knowl- 
edge of  such  a Father.  Among  my  patients  recently 
have  been  several  little  girl  wives,  one  eleven  years 
old,  who  had  already  been  married  three  years. 
They  always  call  forth  my  pity,  and  the  indifference 
of  the  parents  to  their  suffering  never  ceases  to  be  a 
mystery  to  me.’  ” 

Dr.  Wishard  reports:  “The  Persians  pay,  with- 

158 


Persia 


out  question,  their  grocery  bills  and  for  other  pur- 
chases in  the  bazaar ; they  have  money  to  make  pil- 
grimages to  Meshed,  and  even  to  far-away  Mecca 
and  Medina ; they  support  summer-houses  in  the 
cool  retreats  of  the  Shimrum  Mountains,  to  which 
they  come  and  go  in  beautiful  victorias  fresh  from 
Moscow  drawn  by  spans  of  magnificent  Russian 
horses ; but  they  have  no  money  for  the  physician 
who  has  faithfully  cared  for  their  families  during 
severe  and  repeated  illnesses.  Indeed,  should  the 
doctor  intimate  that  upon  certain  occasions  he  had 
found  money  not  an  incumbrance,  he  would  probably 
be  met  by  a look  which  would  seem  to  say,  ‘And  you 
would  charge  a friend  money  for  saving  his  life  ? ’ 
The  physician  who  presented  a bill  for  medical  services 
to  a Persian  gentleman  would  be  regarded  much  in 
the  same  light  as  a minister  in  America  would  be 
should  he  send  in  a bill  for  conducting  a funeral  or 
baptism  of  one  of  the  children  of  the  parish.  On  the 
other  hand  there  are  thousands — for  there  is  no  middle- 
class  in  Persia — living  in  mud  hovels,  in  villages,  and 
in  the  crowded  quarters  of  great  cities,  of  whom  it  can 
truthfully  be  said,  ‘No  man  careth.’  The  entire  be- 
longings of  such  a family  could  be  bought  with  the 
sum  a day-laborer  would  earn  in  a single  week  in 
America.  Instead  of  asking  a fee  from  them,  we 
must  often  help  them  with  money,  food,  and  clothing ; 
for  it  is  only  in  times  of  illness  and  great  distress  that 
we  are  called  upon  by  them  to  render  assistance.” 
Four  medical  students  were  graduated  from  the 
medical  class  in  1897;  two  young  Armenians  and 
l59 


Opportunities 


two  Jews.  Their  diplomas  were  signed  by  all  the 
European  physicians  in  Teheran  connected  with  the 
Legations  by  the  Shah’s  physician,  and  by  the  min- 
isters of  public  instruction. 

Two  medical  graduates  came  back  from  Teheran 
and  opened  dispensaries  in  Hamadan  where  they  now 
have  their  hands  full.  Dr.  Holmes  said  (1S98): 
“The  demand  for  educated  physicians  keeps  more 
than  pace  with  all  that  our  medical  centers  can  do 
to  qualify  them.  Mirza  Saeed,  the  converted  Kurd 
who  studied  with  my  predecessor,  Dr.  Alexander,  and 
who  afterwards  studied  awhile  in  England  and  re- 
turned, has  had  his  hands  full  of  practice  since,  and 
has  recently  been  invited  to  go  with  the  family  of 
Ain-e-Dowleh  (whose  wife  is  daughter  of  the  present 
Shah)  to  Teheran,  and  since  his  arrival  there  has 
been  strongly  urged  by  the  Prince  and  Princess  to  re- 
main permanently  in  their  service.  And  this,  al- 
though he  had  told  them  at  the  outset  that  he  is  a 
Christian  and  though  he  unhesitatingly  bears  joyful 
testimony  at  every  opportunity  to  Christ  as  the  only 
and  all  sufficient  Saviour.” 

An  important  feature  of  the  dispensary  service  is  the 
treatment  of  victims  of  the  opium  habit,  who  are  al- 
most as  numerous  in  many  parts  of  Persia  as  in  China. 

Dr.  Holmes  who  went  to  Hamadan  in  1874  has 
been  obliged  to  resign.  The  following  quotation  from 
the  Board’s  report  of  1901  illustrates  the  great  value 
of  carefully  trained  native  medical  students  : “ There 
has  been  no  medical  missionary  in  the  station,  but  the 
young  men  who  have  been  trained  by  Dr.  Holmes 
160 


DISPENSARY  AT  HAMADAN. 


Persia 


and  Dr.  Wilson,  although  much  responsibility  was 
thrown  upon  them,  proved  equal  to  the  emergency. 

“ Several  of  them  have  been  called  to  attend  special 
cases  in  distant  cities  and  districts,  and  have  rendered 
efficient  and  satisfactory  aid,  besides  receiving  sub- 
stantial and  in  some  cases  generous  remuneration  for 
their  services.  One  of  them  has  been  acting  as  chief 
physician  to  H.  R.  H.  the  governor,  and  has  con- 
ducted himself  in  so  becoming  a manner,  although  a 
converted  Jew,  as  not  only  to  overcome  deep  preju- 
dice, but  to  gain  the  respect  of  the  Prince  and  his 
household. 

“The  sanitarium,  called  Nourmahal,  has  been 
completed  on  high  ground  a little  distance  from  the 
city.  The  station  has  rejoiced  at  this,  and  also  at 
the  year’s  freedom  from  persecutions,  tumults,  and 
murders,  which  have  filled  many  preceding  years  with 
anxiety.”  Guy  W.  Hamilton,  M.  D.,  has  recently 
(1902)  been  transferred  from  Siam  to  Hamadan. 

After  eight  months  of  medical  work,  hard  work  at 
the  station,  assisting  in  teaching  the  medical  students, 
conducting  clinics  and  Sunday  afternoon  meetings 
with  the  women,  Dr.  Jessie  C.  Wilson  went  on  a tour 
with  Miss  McCampbell.  They  visited  four  cities, 
Kasvin,  Zenjan,  Bijar,  and  Senneh,  and  twenty-six 
villages.  “ There  was  a perfect  tumult  in  some 
places  when  it  was  known  a doctor  had  arrived,  and, 
the  news  spreading  to  surrounding  villages,  some 
would  come  long  distances  to  see  us. 

“ The  cases  ranged  in  importance  from  the  woman 
who  asked  me  to  feel  her  pulse  and  tell  her  whether 
161 


Opportunities 


she  would  find  a husband,  to  the  hopelessly  blind 
woman  who  listened  for  the  opening  of  our  door  and 
immediately  took  up  her  station  inside  and  whose 
sighs  were  heartrending  to  hear.  Smallpox,  measles, 
and  whooping-cough  were  prevalent  among  the  chil- 
dren ; while  a multitude  of  people  with  a multitude  of 
chronic  diseases  thronged  our  yard  and  followed  us 
into  the  streets.  In  Senneh,  the  last  city  visited,  the 
lepers  sat  day  by  day  in  rows  along  the  pavement 
begging  from  the  passers-by,  their  condition  most 
pitiable  to  see.  It  was  surprising  how  well  we  were 
received  by  all  classes  of  people  on  this  journey — rich 
and  poor  inviting  us  to  their  houses — and  in  some 
places  we  had  so  many  social  engagements  that  little 
time  was  left  for  medical  work. 

“ Senneh  was  to  be  made  our  stopping  place  for  a 
short  time  only,  as  the  heat  was  intense  there.  But 
on  account  of  the  illness  of  the  elder  son  of  Mo-a-ta- 
med,  a prominent  man  of  Kurdistan,  we  remained 
more  than  a month,  but  just  as  soon  as  the  condition 
of  the  patients  would  permit  we  started  for  Hamadan 
in  spite  of  entreaties  for  us  to  remain. 

“A  medical  tour  is  a most  satisfactory  way  of 
reaching  the  people  in  many  ways.  It  is  impossible 
to  take  sufficient  medicines  along  to  supply  all  on  such 
a long  tour.  However,  it  gives  the  people  excuse  to 
visit  us,  and  the  attraction  of  our  lodging  place  was 
even  more  than  was  desired.” 

After  leaving  Teheran  you  travel  eastward  for  three 
thousand  miles  before  you  reach  the  next  missionary 
station, — in  far-off  China.  Is  such  work  adequate  ? 

162 


Peisia 


At  Hamadan,  Teheran,  and  Urumia,  medical  classes 
are  being  instructed  by  our  doctors.  In  fact  all 
of  our  doctors  in  self-defense  must  instruct  native 
assistants ; the  press  of  work  is  so  great  that  this  is 
indispensable. 


Summary  of  Medical  Missionary  Work 


Baghdad 
Julfa 
Juba  rah 


Church  Missionary  Society , English. 


H.  D. 
2 H.  2 D. 
D. 


Kirman  medical  work 
Ispahan  3 D. 

Mosul  medical  work 


Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  North. 


Urumia 


Tabriz 


Teheran 


llamadan 


Founded 


Westminster  II.  2 D.  1S83 

J.  P.  Cochran,  M.  D. 

Howard  Annex  D. 

Emma  T.  Miller,  M.  D. 
Whipple  Women’s  H.  2 D.  1S97 

Mary  E.  Bradford,  M.  D. 
Men’s  D.  1874 

Wm.  S.  Vanneman,  M.  D. 

Ferry  H.  2 D.  1892 

Jessie  C.  Wilson,  M.  D. 
Mary  J.  Smith,  M.  D. 

J.  A.  Funk.  M.  D. 

E.  T.  Lawrence,  M.  D. 


Men’s  D.  1882 

Guy  W.  Hamilton,  M.  D. 
Women’s  D.  1894 

Blanche  Wilson,  M.  D. 


164 


MEDICAL  SCHOOL  FACULTY,  SYRIAN  PROTESTANT  COLLEGE,  BEIRUT. 
FROM  “CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS  AND  SOCIAL  PROGRESS,” 

BY  JAMES  S.  DENNIS,  D.  D. 


THE  OPERATING  ROOM.  DR.  POST  SEATED  BY  A PATIENT. 
JOHANNITER  HOSPITAL,  BEIRUT, 

FROM  “CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS  AND  SOCIAL  PROGRESS,” 

BY  JAMES  S DENNIS,  D.  D. 


CHAPTER  VII 


SYRIA 

Dr.  Post  of  the  Beirut  Medical  College,  at  the 
London  Conference,  described  hospital  work  thus : 
“ I shall  take  you  at  once  to  the  forefront  of  the  battle. 
I shall  try  to  give  you  a series  of  living  pictures  of 
medical  mission  work  in  the  field.  First,  let  me  ask 
you  to  imagine  yourselves  with  me  to-day  in  a room 
which  will  hold  about  two  hundred  people  in  the  city 
of  Beirut.  . . . The  day  is  Christmas,  the  occa- 

sion is  the  celebration  of  the  annual  festival  for  the 
benefit  of  the  patients  in  the  hospital.  Imagine  to 
yourselves  in  the  middle  of  the  room  a Christmas  tree 
decked  out  as  you  deck  out  such  a tree  for  your  fes- 
tival in  this  land. 

“Imagine  to  yourselves  the  patients  assembling  and 
grouping  themselves  round  this  tree,  while  on  the 
chairs  round  the  edges  of  the  room  is  a select  com- 
pany of  English,  Americans,  Germans,  French,  and 
Arabs,  natives  of  the  country,  and  people  of  other 
nationalities,  gathered  to  witness  the  spectacle.  While 
they  are  assembling  I will  try  to  describe  to  you  the 
personnel  and  the  history  of  some  of  those  patients. 
The  first  whom  we  see  before  us  is  a little  boy  of 
seven  years  of  age.  That  boy  is  a Jew ; we  rarely 


Opportunities 


get  Jews  into  our  hospital ; he  is  so  young  that  they 
think  he  cannot  be  harmed ; he  is  not  yet  initiated 
into  the  secrets  of  religion.  I do  not  know  how  it  is, 
but  there  he  is.  We  do  sometimes  get  Jewish  chil- 
dren. He  is  going  to  hear  about  Jesus  Christ — the 
first  time  in  his  life  that  he  has  ever  heard  the  gospel. 

“ By  his  side  there  is  a woman  with  a long  white 
veil  over  her  face.  You  see  but  one  eye.  She  wears 
a blue  dress.  She  has  a little  baby  in  her  arms ; the 
hands  are  gone  ! That  woman  is  a Druse  woman. 
She  was  sitting  in  her  house  in  the  mountains,  warm- 
ing her  hands  over  the  fire  in  the  center  of  the  floor. 
They  have  no  chimneys  there — in  many  of  the  houses 
they  have  no  windows.  They  let  the  smoke  go  out  of 
the  door.  Well,  as  she  was  sitting  there  warming  her 
hands,  some  earth  and  stones  and  sticks  fell  from  the 
roof  and  pinioned  her  hands  to  the  fire  and  they 
were  burnt  to  a crisp.  She  came  down  to  our  hos- 
pital, and  we  were  obliged  to  amputate  both  hands. 

. She  has  come  down  with  that  poor  little 
baby,  and  we  have  been  kind  to  her ; we  have  treated 
her  gently.  She  has  seen  these  dear  sisters  (the  Kaiser- 
werth  Sisters)  take  that  baby  in  their  arms  and  lull  it 
to  sleep.  They  have  read  the  Bible  to  her,  and  her 
heart  has  been  touched.  And  now  she  sits  there  be- 
fore that  tree,  which  is  the  emblem  of  the  love  of 
Christ,  and  she  is  going  to  hear  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

“Just  on  the  other  side  is  a man  with  a long  beard 
and  a green  turban.  That  man  is  a descendant  of 
Mohammed.  Where  do  you  suppose  he  came  from? 

1 66 


Syria 


He  came  from  Hebron  ; he  is  the  guardian  of  the 
sacred  tomb  of  Machpelah,  and  has  charge  of  the 
bones  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and  Sarah, 
Rebecca,  and  Leah.  He  is  a very  bigoted  Mohamme- 
dan. He  would  not  let  you  go  into  the  outer  pre- 
cincts of  that  sacred  tomb,  nor  let  you  look  through 
the  bars  where  those  sacred  ashes  repose.  No  man 
has  been  allowed  to  go  into  the  innermost  recesses  of 
that  sacred  place.  The  very  boys  of  Hebron  would 
stone  you  away  if  you  attempted  to  go  near  their 
mosque.  What  brought  him  here  ? Sickness.  He 
was  blind.  He  came  to  the  hospital,  and  the  dog 
that  he  would  have  spat  upon  is  the  man  that  gave 
him  the  use  of  his  two  eyes.  And  he  will  give  him 
now  his  heart  and  his  attention  as  he  preaches  the 
gospel  to  him. 

“On  the  right  hand  is  a Bedouin  from  Palmyra. 
He  had  a blood  feud  with  some  of  his  comrades,  and 
they  shot  him  in  the  side.  The  bullet  entered  the 
chest.  An  unskillful  native  practitioner  there  very 
rightly  wished  to  drain  the  wound,  but  very  unskill- 
fully  rolled  up  a piece  of  rag  and  put  it  into  the  wound 
to  keep  it  open  ; but  he  did  not  take  care  to  prevent  it 
slipping  in,  and  it  slipped  in.  Then  the  next  day  he 
put  in  another,  and  that  slipped  in.  Then  he  kept  on 
putting  in  rags  day  after  day  until  there  was  a mass  there 
as  big  as  my  fist.  The  poor  man  began  to  cough  and 
grow  thin,  and  he  began  to  die.  They  heard  of  this 
hospital  in  Beirut,  and  they  heard  of  somebody  who 
dared  to  perform  operations  on  cases  like  that.  They 
brought  him  all  the  way  from  Palmyra. 

167 


Opportunities 


I took  out  that  great  mass,  and  I could  look  in  and  see 
the  action  of  the  lungs  and  could  see  clear  to  the  spinal 
column.  That  man  became  well.  People  held  it  to 
be  a miracle,  but  it  was  not  a miracle  of  mine,  only 
a miracle  of  modern  science,  and  modern  science  is  a 
miracle  of  Christianity.  That  man  never  heard  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ  before.  He  was  a Bedouin.  He 
hardly  had  heard  of  Christ,  except  in  terms  of  re- 
proach. But  he  sits  down  here  to  hear  all  about  the 
gospel. 

“ Here  is  a poor  woman.  She  cannot  sit  up,  but 
is  lying  on  a bed  and  has  been  brought  down  on  a 
stretcher.  She  had  a brute  of  a husband  who  struck 
her  in  the  chest,  and  disease  of  the  bone  followed. 
He  struck  her  right  over  the  heart,  and  the  ribs  and 
costal  cartilages  were  affected.  A great  plate  of  dead 
bone  and  cartilage  had  to  be  removed,  and  for  the 
first  and  only  time  in  my  life  I looked  inside  a 
woman’s  heart.  I laid  the  four  fingers  of  my  hand 
over  the  pericardium,  and  felt  every  motion  of  the 
mechanism  of  the  heart — a thing  I never  saw  or  heard 
of  before.  She  recovered.  That  was  a miracle,  not 
of  mine,  but  of  science,  and  of  Christianity  which 
underlies  science.  She  is  here  to  hear  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  Shall  I describe  them  all  ? 

“ They  are  gathered  from  Jerusalem,  from  Bagdad, 
from  Tuat  in  the  Great  Sahara,  from  Turkestan  in 
Central  Asia,  from  the  head  waters  of  the  Euphrates  and 
the  Tigris,  from  every  village  in  Lebanon,  from  Pales- 
tine, from  Cyprus,  from  Asia  Minor — they  are  gathered 
into  this  hospital,  and  here  they  receive  the  gifts  of 
1 68 


Syria 


healing.  Now  here  they  are,  gathered  round  this 
Christmas  tree,  with  these  sweet  sisters,  like  presiding 
angels,  going  to  and  fro  amongst  them ; and  there  are 
the  presents  on  the  tree.  Each  one  has  a garment  or 
a book  and  the  children  some  toys,  and  the  ginger- 
bread and  candy  and  oranges  are  not  forgotten. 

“ They  open  the  book  and  sing  about  the  child 
Jesus.  Then  the  German  pastor  gets  up  and  offers  a 
prayer.  Then  the  English  pastor  makes  some  remarks 
to  the  audience  gathered  about  him ; and  then  the 
doctor,  who  has  stood  by  their  side,  who  has  held 
the  terrible  knife  over  them — but  thanks  be  to  God 
they  were  under  the  influence  of  an  anaesthetic  that 
robbed  it  of  its  terrors  !— and  who  has  stood  by  their 
bedside  and  watched  them  through  the  crisis  of  the 
fever,  and  who  has  smiled  as  he  saw  returning  health 
and  strength ; he  stands  now  before  them  to  preach 
the  gospel  of  Christ.  Christian  brethren,  I do  not  be- 
lieve in  letting  down  the  gospel  to  anybody.  The 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  made  the  gospel  as  simple,  as 
elementary  and  as  possible  for  every  man  to  accept  as 
it  can  be  made,  and  if  we  present  it  as  Jesus  gave  it 
to  us  it  will  go  home  to  the  heart.  I am  not  afraid, 
Christian  brethren,  to  stand  up  before  that  Moham- 
medan, that  descendant  of  Saladin,  and  preach  Christ 
and  him  crucified.” 

The  hospital  where  all  these  patients  were 
assembled  is  the  Hospital  of  the  Knights  of  St.  John 
under  the  Kaiserwerth  Sisters  of  the  German  Lutheran 
Church.  It  is  a beautiful  hospital,  a great  white 
structure  perfectly  appointed  in  every  way.  Those 
169 


Opportunities 


able  to  pay  are  expected  to  do  so,  but  if  they  are  too 
poor  for  this  every  care  needed  is  given  freely.  The 
doctors  of  the  medical  faculty  of  the  Syrian  Protestant 
College  at  Beirut  give  their  services  there. 

In  telling  of  medical  work  in  Syria,  near  the  place 
where  Christ  was  born,  could  we  do  better  than  begin 
with  a Christmas  scene  in  one  of  the  hospitals?  This 
medical  department  of  the  Syrian  Protestant  College 
of  Beirut,  where  Dr.  Post  has  won  fame  and  given  re- 
lief of  soul  and  body  to  thousands  during  his  years 
of  ministry,  was  founded  soon  after  the  college  was 
opened  in  1866.  This  college  has  three  departments, 
preparatory,  collegiate,  medical.  It  is  auxiliary  to 
the  mission  and  in  closest  sympathy  with  it,  but  it  was 
deemed  best  to  have  it  independent.  Its  aim  is  “ the 
enlightenment  and  salvation  of  the  Arabic  world.” 
When  you  read  a report  of  “ Missions  in  Syria,”  pub- 
lished by  our  press  in  Beirut,  and  note  the  seventy  odd 
students  in  the  medical  college,  and  find  they  come 
from  the  Arabic  speaking  portions  of  Europe,  Asia, 
and  Africa,  the  Mohammedan  world,  you  feel  sure 
that  the  aim  is  being  fulfilled. 

The  four  years’  course  in  the  medical  college  has 
reacted  on  the  whole  course  of  medical  education  in 
the  land,  and  it  is  steadily  advancing  the  standard 
of  medical  learning.  It  has  practically  created  the 
medical  profession  in  the  Levant,  Mr.  Mott  says  in 
“Strategic  Points  in  the  World’s  Conquest.”  Its 
graduates,  mostly  Christians,  after  taking  the  Con- 
stantinople diploma,  may  practice  in  any  part  of 
Turkey.  “ While  the  sultan  has  granted  to  the  Jesuit 
170 


Syria 


Medical  College  at  Beirut,  the  right  to  have  the  ex- 
aminations for  this  ‘ Constantinople  diploma  ’ held  in 
Beirut,  yet  he  still  compels  the  graduates  of  our  med- 
ical college  to  go  to  Constantinople  for  it,  thereby  in- 
volving them  in  great  labor  and  expense.  This  ought 
to  be  known  as  a fact  illustrating  unfair  discrimination 
against  us  in  favor  of  the  French,”  the  Rev.  William 
Jessup  adds  to  the  above. 

Our  graduates  are  found  associated  with  most  of  the 
medical  missions  presided  over  by  English  or  Ameri- 
cans ; others,  single-handed,  are  doing  a good  work 
as  medical  missionaries.  Dr.  Post  says  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  give  an  account  of  the  medical  mission  work  in 
this  land  without  frequent  mention  of  the  graduates 
of  this  institution. 

Dr.  Post  is  one  of  the  greatest  of  living  surgeons. 
He  has  been  at  work  for  over  thirty  years.  Some 
of  the  most  bigoted  and  intolerant  Mohammedans 
have  been  his  patients  and  “ after  he  has  touched 
them  with  his  skillful  hand,  they  have  stooped  to  kiss 
his  feet,  to  express  their  gratitude ; and  hundreds 
have  been  healed,  not  only  in  body,  but  in  soul 
also.” 

Beirut  is  the  commercial  and  literary  center  of 
Syria.  In  its  appearance  and  in  the  culture  of  its  in- 
habitants, it  more  nearly  resembles  a European  city 
than  any  other  city  in  the  land.  At  the  foot  of  the 
Lebanon,  on  a plain,  it  rivals  Naples  in  beauty  of 
scenery.  The  city  is  built  on  rising  ground  and 
adorned  with  many  elegant  buildings,  private  and 
public.  Of  all  belonging  to  the  mission,  few  have 
171 


Opportunities 


cost  the  Board  anything,  they  having  been  built 
mainly  by  private  funds. 

The  first  medical  missionary  in  Syria  was  Cornelius 
Van  Alen  Van  Dyck,  M.  D.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  We 
ought  to  know  well  such  a hero.  He  was  born  in 
1818,  at  Kinderhook,  N.  Y.,  where  he  began  his  edu- 
cation, completing  his  studies  at  the  Jefferson  Medical 
College,  Philadelphia.  Afterwards  he  was  ordained 
to  the  ministry  in  Syria  in  1846.  When  twenty-two 
he  went  out  to  Syria  under  the  American  Board  in 
1840;  and  there  he  devoted  all  his  great  powers  to 
Christ  alone  till  his  death  fifty-five  years  afterwards. 
Only  twice  did  he  come  back  to  this  country,  each 
time  on  business. 

We  are  apt  to  think  of  him  chiefly  in  connection 
with  his  wonderful  work,  the  translation  of  the  Bible 
into  Arabic.  This  he  took  up  in  1857,  on  the  death 
of  the  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  D.  D.,  who  had  spent  nine  years 
over  it.  For  seven  years  he  carried  on  the  work  till 
it  was  printed,  April  29th,  1865.  It  is  said  to  be  the 
finest  translation  of  the  Bible  in  any  language ; and  it 
is  on  sale  in  Arabic,  “ in  Jerusalem  and  Damascus,  in 
Alexandria  and  Cairo,  in  Constantinople  and  Aleppo, 
in  Mosul  and  Bagdad,  in  Shanghai,  Canton,  and 
Peking,  in  Zanzibar  and  Khartoum,  in  Algiers  and 
Tunis,  in  Siberia  and  Sierra  Leone,”  in  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  and  other  American  cities.  “This  is 
America’s  gift  to  the  Mohammedan  world.” 

But  all  through  Syria  and  the  Levant,  Dr.  Van 
Dyck  was  known  as  a doctor.  Crowds  came  to  him 
to  be  healed,  and  he  held  clinics  almost  without  in- 
172 


DR.  C.  V.  A.  VAN  DYCK. 


Syria 


terruption.  He  did  immense  service.  He  wrote 
some  valuable  books  on  medicine  in  Arabic,  being 
known  as  the  greatest  living  Arabic  scholar. 

He  was  often  taken  for  a native  when  he  traveled ; 
once  in  i860  when  the  Druses  and  Maronites  were 
fighting  in  the  Lebanon,  he  nearly  lost  his  life,  for 
those  who  took  him  prisoner  did  not  believe  that  any- 
one who  spoke  Arabic  so  perfectly  was  not  a native. 
Years  afterwards  there  came  to  him  in  the  hospital  as 
a patient,  one  of  the  Arabs  who  had  then  tried  to  kill 
him. 

He  was  universally  kind.  Some  one  visiting  him  a 
few  months  before  he  died  (in  1895)  found  a swallow 
busy  building  her  nest  round  the  chain  of  his  lamp 
near  the  ceiling.  Dr.  Van  Dyck  had  carefully  spread 
newspapers  on  the  floor  underneath,  and  explained 
that  the  bird  had  been  driven  in  by  other  birds. 

A Mohammedan  Mufti  once  came  to  his  office  in 
Beirut.  One  of  his  wives  was  ill  and  he  seemed  to 
care  enough  for  her  to  wish  for  medical  advice.  But 
he  considered  it  an  insult  to  mention  a woman,  and 
all  his  conventional  good -breeding  was  put  to  severe 
test.  His  diplomacy  showed  itself  in  the  usual  in- 
numerable salutations,  multiplied  all  the  more  copi- 
ously because  of  the  risk. 

“Good  morning;  may  your  day  be  happy;  may 
God  grant  you  a great  help,”  until  he  thought  he  had 
by  his  compliments  sufficiently  paved  the  way  to 
business. 

Then  he  proceeded  : “ Your  Excellency  must  be 

aware  that  I have  a sick  man  in  my  house.  May  God 
I73 


Opportunities 


give  you  blessing ! Indeed,  peace  to  your  head  ! 
Inshullah,  it  is  only  a slight  attack  ! ” 

The  amused  missionary  inquired  what  was  the 
matter. 

“He  has  a headache,  a pain  in  his  back,  and  he 
will  not  eat.’’ 

Of  course  immediate  attention  was  promised  for  the 
man. 

“ I will  come  and  see  him  this  afternoon  ; who  may 
it  be?’’ 

Fumbling  in  his  awkwardness  at  last  the  poor  Mufti 
burst  out  with  it  tumultuously  : “ Ajellak,  Allah,  it  is 
my  wife ! May  God  increase  your  good  ! Good 
morning,  sir  ! ” 

The  human  tongue  is  incapable  of  uttering  any 
formula  that  is  a greater  concentration  of  fastidious 
disdain  and  contemptuous  scorn.  In  genteel  Arabic 
the  apology,  “Ajellak,  Allah”  must  always  be  used 
whenever  one  is  compelled  to  speak  of  five  intolerable 
embarrassments  : a shoe,  a donkey,  a dog,  a hog,  or  a 
woman. 

The  whole  notion  of  women  in  Egypt  and  Palestine 
among  Mohammedans  and  Arabs  is  degrading  and 
ignoble.  (In  this  particular  they  quite  unite  with  the 
Hindus,  whose  tenets  are  summed  up  in  the  sanctity 
of  a cow  and  the  vileness  of  a woman.)  Fathers  re- 
joice if  a son  is  given  to  keep  up  family  ambition  and 
name,  but  their  proverb  is,  “The  threshold  weeps 
forty  days  whenever  a girl  baby  is  born.” 

Miss  West  says  : “ Anyone  who  has  ever  heard  the 
tongues  of  Turkish  (or  heathen)  women  in  fierce, 
174 


Syria 


childish,  bitter,  boisterous  and  long-continued  dis- 
pute,— the  screams,  and  yells,  and  curses,  accompanied 
by  beating  of  the  breast,  tearing  the  hair,  and  sudden 
flying  at  the  enemy,  clawing  and  scratching,  and  spit- 
ting like  so  many  furies, — can  fully  appreciate  Solo- 
mon’s sharp,  sarcastic  allusions  to  ‘angry,’  ‘con- 
tentious,’ ‘brawling’  women  ! 

“ In  lands  where  speedy  burial  follows  a sudden 
death,  and  no  post-mortem  examination  is  made,  or 
coroner’s  inquest  held,  a cup  of  poison,  secretly  ad- 
ministered, accomplishes  its  fatal  work ; and  the  hus- 
band or  wife  loudly  bewails  (in  public)  the  deed 
which  his  or  her  own  hand  has  coolly  wrought,  unseen 
by  any  human  eye  ! This  is  more  or  less  true  of  all 
classes  and  nationalities  throughout  the  empire ; but 
the  standard  of  morality  is  vastly  higher  among  the 
Armenians,  and  other  nominal  Christians  of  the  East 
who  accept  the  Bible  (even  though  its  light  is  hidden), 
than  among  those  whose  antecedents  are  purely  Mo- 
hammedan or  pagan.  Among  the  Turks  especially, 
the  first  chapter  of  Romans  is  just  as  applicable  as 
when  penned  by  the  inspired  apostle.  ...  As  a 
nation  they  are  slowly  becoming  extinct  from  their 
vices ; the  number  of  births  decreasing  with  every 
year,  while  among  the  so-called  Christian  population, 
there  is  a steady  increase.” 

To  penetrate  the  fastnesses  of  the  harems,  women 
medical  missionaries  are  essential.  In  all  Moham- 
medan lands  medical  missionaries  have  a value  ines- 
timable. Who  can  so  preach  Christ  ? What  is  the 
land  to  do  without  him  ? How  can  it  be  helped  with 
l75 


Opportunities 


such  women  in  the  homes  ? Only  Christianity  gives 
woman  her  true  place. 

Consider  this  prescription  for  a baby  suffering  with 
anything  from  croup  to  stomachache:  “First,  get  a 
hen’s  egg,  then  make  seven  round  holes  in  the  shell 
and  empty  out  the  contents  through  these  holes.  Then 
dip  the  perforated  eggshell  under  water  and  lift  it 
quickly  so  that  the  water  it  holds  will  stream  into  the 
basin.  Repeat  this  operation  thirty-nine  times  until 
the  basin  has  received  forty  shellfuls  of  water  streamed 
through  the  seven  holes.  Finally,  wash  the  sick  baby 
in  the  basin  thus  filled,  and  there  is  nothing  more  to 
be  done.”  The  fact  that  the  death  rate  among 
children  is  deplorably  high  does  not  change  such 
belief. 

A man  with  boils  must  start  confidently  down  the 
road,  flinging  over  his  shoulder  nuts  or  raisins,  and 
never  looking  behind  though  the  city  burn  down. 
Whoever  picks  up  one  of  these  nuts  or  raisins,  will,  he 
believes,  take  with  it  his  boils. 

To  cure  a fever  get  some  wise  old  Armenian  to  bind 
the  patient’s  wrist  with  cotton  cloth.  This  is  supposed 
to  bind  the  fever  also,  and  to  render  it  harmless. 

In  Arabia,  where  treatment  is  of  the  same  kind, 
holes  are  burned  in  the  body  to  let  the  disease  out. 
Sick  children  are  branded  with  red-hot  bars,  wounded 
limbs  are  chopped  off  and  sealed  with  boiling  tar. 
The  chief  surgical  instrument  among  the  common 
people  of  Syria  is  the  jack-knife.  Multitudes  believe 
in  the  use  of  charms.  Especially  do  they  dread  the 
“ evil  eye”  and  beads  are  used  to  rid  themselves  of 

i"6 


Syria 


its  influence  upon  their  houses  and  persons,  or  on 
their  domestic  animals.  In  times  of  sickness  the 
neighbors  are  eagerly  sought  and  all  their  advice  taken 
as  to  medicine  and  diet.  This  is  regarded  as  more 
reliable  than  that  of  the  regular  doctor.  Usually  no 
guard  is  taken  against  exposure  to  disease. 

One  of  the  missionaries  kindly  laid  his  hands  on  the 
head  of  a child,  not  noticing  an  eruption  on  its  face. 
He  was  going  home  to  his  wife  and  four  little  chil- 
dren. 

“Take  care!  That  child  has  the  smallpox,”  said 
Miss  Maria  A.  West  who  was  traveling  with  the  same 
company.  He  started  as  if  stung  by  a scorpion. 

“ Why  did  you  not  tell  me?  ” he  sternly  demanded 
of  the  father,  a native  Christian  preacher.  “And  he, 
good  man,  laughed  at  the  idea  of  anyone  being  afraid 
of  smallpox  ! ’ ’ 

Fatalism  prevails.  The  people  meet  every  illness 
with  a despondent  spirit ; declaring  almost  hopelessly, 
— “It  is  from  God.” 

Means  and  methods  of  prevention  are  not  thought 
of  among  the  great  mass  of  the  people,  for  every  sani- 
tary law  is  disregarded.  There  is  an  indescribable 
want  of  cleanliness  and  order  in  their  houses  and  per- 
sons. It  seems  hopeless  to  introduce  anything  like 
comfort  into  their  houses.  Nevertheless  Christianity 
has  effected  changes  in  the  homes  of  many  of  our 
converts,  where  cleanliness  and  sanitation  are  found. 
The  word  “microbe  ” is  well-known  now  in  Arabic. 

When  scientific  prescriptions  are  written  out  and 
left  with  the  patients,  they  frequently  dissolve  the 
177 


Opportunities 


paper  in  water,  which  they  then  drink  and  thus  save 
the  expense  of  going  to  the  apothecary.  They  are 
utterly  ignorant  of  medicine,  its  essential  nature  and 
effects.  If  a little  does  good,  much  will  do  more 
good  proportionately,  they  think.  As  for  dieting,  it 
is  not  thought  of.  The  pupils  in  our  schools  when  ill 
“turn  with  disgust  from  rice-water,  gruels,  and  por- 
ridges and  long  for  the  savory  messes  which  they  are 
accustomed  to  eat.”  Diseases  of  all  kinds  are  most 
common.  Suffering  from  poverty  and  sickness  every- 
where abounds.  Unknown  difficulties  attend  mission 
prescriptions  for  orientals. 

There  is  no  provision  for  the  care  of  the  insane,  the 
imbecile,  and  the  epileptic,  in  Syria.  Theophilus 
Waldmeier  of  the  American  Friends’  Mission  at 
Asfuriyeh  has  built  the  only  hospital  for  the  insane, 
or  “Home  for  the  Insane,”  as  he  prefers  to  call  it, 
near  Beirut,  below  Brummana,  at  the  foot  of  Mount 
Lebanon.  Being  in  Lebanon  territory  it  is  free  from 
Turkish  oppression,  for  since  1S60,  after  the  massacre 
of  the  Druses,  that  section  of  Syria  has  enjoyed  good 
laws  and  Christian  government,  which  no  other  Turk- 
ish province  is  so  fortunate  as  to  possess.  The  build- 
ings were  erected  and  are  supported  by  funds  from 
British,  Continental,  and  American  sources. 

Syria  has  been  better  supplied  with  medical  helps 
than  any  other  of  our  foreign  fields,  yet  nowhere  is 
the  need  greater,  because  it  is  one  of  the  best  forms 
of  work  to  break  down  the  Mohammedan  fortifications 
of  superstition  and  prejudice.  Thirteen  hospitals  and 
fifteen  dispensaries  are  under  the  United  Free  Church 
178 


Syria 


of  Scotland,  the  English  Medical  Mission  to  the  Jews, 
the  Church  Missionary  Society,  the  London  Society 
for  the  Propagation  of  Christianity  among  the  Jews, 
the  Moravians,  the  Jaffa  English  Mission,  the  Prussian 
Sisters,  the  American  Presbyterians,  and  the  Friends’ 
Medical  Mission  to  the  Armenians,  while  the  Mildmay 
Mission,  the  Edinburgh  Medical  Missionary  Society, 
and  the  American  Friends’  Mission  make  up  the  total 
of  the  societies  working  for  the  medical  aid  of  Syria. 
In  Turkey,  at  Constantinople,  and  a few  other  places, 
a few  hospitals  and  dispensaries  are  giving  forth  “ light 
and  life.” 

These  are  not  sufficient.  Witness  this  account  of 
Miss  West’s  in  her  “Romance  of  Missions.”  She 
was  ill  at  Marsovan,  and  when  the  others  “ no  longer 
dared  to  trust  their  own  skill,  and  study  of  medicine 
books,  a messenger  was  dispatched  to  Yozgat,  the 
nearest  telegraph  station,  to  summon  the  missionary 
physician  from  Sivas,  seven  days  distant.  Posting 
day  and  night,  he  accomplished  the  five  days’  jour- 
ney in  two,  and  when  he  received  a telegram  in  re- 
ply, started  back  as  swiftly  as  he  went.  . 

Four  or  five  days  have  passed  and  a second  mes- 
senger is  dispatched  to  meet  the  first,  and  bring  back 
news  of  the  doctor.  At  last,  he  returns  with  the  joy- 
ful tidings  that  the  ‘ hakim  ’ is  on  his  way,  and  will 
arrive  in  an  hour  or  two. 

“As  the  sun  goes  down  the  doctor  throws  himself 
from  the  jaded  horse,  and  comes  to  the  relief  of  the 
worn-out,  anxious  watchers,  who  can  scarcely  restrain 
their  tears  for  joy,  the  responsibility  was  so  great. 

*79 


Opportunities 


lint  the  crisis  is  just  past,  and  the  danger  is  over;  the 
life  saved,  Dr.  West  says,  by  prompt  application  of 
leeches  to  the  head,  which  arrested  fatal  inflammation 
of  the  brain. 

“ The  people  have  heard  of  the  ‘ great  hakim,’  and 
Dr.  West  is  constantly  beset  by  crowds  that,  as  in  the 
time  of  our  Saviour,  are  ‘ taken  with  divers  diseases 
and  torments’  ; the  halt,  the  maimed,  and  the  blind, 
and  those  that  are  ‘ possessed  ’ with — they  know  not 
what.  Within  a few  days  he  performs  many  wonder- 
ful surgical  operations,  and  his  fame  spreads  abroad ; 
the  outer  and  inner  courtyard  overflows  with  per- 
sistent claimants  upon  his  attention,  and  the  house  is 
in  a state  of  siege  ! Doors  are  locked  to  prevent 
people  of  all  sorts  and  conditions  from  swarming  in 
every  part,  like  some  of  the  plagues  of  Egypt.  And 
the  tumult  without,  makes  itself  more  or  less  felt 
within.  In  the  midst  of  it  all,  there  comes  a tele- 
gram, recalling  the  doctor  to  attend  upon  his  own 
sick  child.  The  news  of  his  speedy  departure  flies  like 
wild  fire  through  the  town  ; a surging  crowd  collects  in 
the  streets  round  the  missionary  dwelling,  each  one 
holding  up  his  little  cup  and  clamoring  for  medicine ! 
The  doctor,  calm  and  undisturbed  as  usual,  gives  a 
few  directions  to  his  assistants,  and  promises  the 
people  to  train  one  of  their  own  number  to  be  their 
physician,  mounts  his  horse,  and  speedily  disappears 
for  a hurried  march  toward  home.” 

One  of  our  workers,  an  expectant  mother,  sent  for 
the  physician  in  time  of  direst  need,  only  to  receive 
the  reply  that  it  was  impossible  to  come. 

180 


Syria 


A mother,  a missionary,  found  her  two  little  chil- 
dren ill ; one  of  them  died.  She  then  took  the  other 
and  journeyed  six  days  to  the  nearest  doctor.  “ Too 
late,”  he  said.  She  turned  and  journeyed  back. 
The  second  day  that  child  also  died.  The  rest  of  the 
way  she  traveled  with  her  dead  child  in  her  arms. 
There  is  no  need  to  allow  such  things  to  continue. 
Why  is  it  that  so  few  lay  them  to  heart  ? 

We  read  of  many  deaths  on  mission  fields.  We 
feel  sorry  perhaps.  If  we  inquired  into  the  cause  we 
would  find  the  blame  is  here,  in  America — men  and 
means  are  withheld.  The  Church  of  Christ  “is 
asleep.  She  is  indifferent,  because  ignorant.  A 
drowsy  person  cannot  cope  with  real  peril.  When  a 
man  is  fully  awake  he  is  alive  to  the  stress  of  circum- 
stances. Oh  ! I pray  that  our  Lord  Jehovah  may  wake 
up  his  people  now.  We  have  slept  too  long.” 

At  Tripoli  the  hospital  hired  in  1884,  was  replaced 
by  a new  building  in  1892,  after  much  opposition. 
The  wards,  accommodating  twenty-four  beds  and  an 
operating  room,  are  built  over  a mission  chapel,  thirty- 
four  by  thirty-eight  feet.  The  day  school  is  also  held  in 
this  building.  (The  patients  must  often  suffer  from  this 
fact  for  all  pupils  in  the  Orient  study  out  loud.)  On  the 
ground  floor,  there  is  a waiting  room,  and  over  it  an 
assistants’  and  consulting  room,  a drug  room,  and  a 
dark  room  for  ophthalmic  examinations.  One  ward  of 
an  American  hospital  would  furnish  the  whole  of  our 
medical  outfit  in  Syria.  They  can  receive  as  in- 
patients only  surgical  cases,  for  lack  of  room.  The 
medical  patients  must  find  themselves  accommodations 
181 


Opportunities 


elsewhere.  The  gospel  is  preached  to  the  crowds  of 
patients  who  assemble  at  the  hospital  and  at  the  dis- 
pensary, and  long  medical  itinerating  tours  are  taken 
to  other  parts  of  the  field.  Each  day,  before  the 
medical  work  is  begun,  a religious  service  is  held 
which  Moslems  and  nominal  Christians  attend. 
Shickri  Fakhuri  preaches  everyday  before  clinics, 
and  also  on  Thursday  evening.  In  the  dispensary 
chapel  he  assists  in  dressings  and  surgical  operations. 
Zamurrod  Faris,  a graduate  of  the  girls’  school,  has 
charge  of  the  work  among  the  women  in  connection 
with  the  dispensary. 

Mrs.  Harris  writes  : “The  daily  clinics  continue 

large.  Just  now  we  have  a Protestant  ward,  and  it  is 
refreshing  to  go  into  that  room  and  to  see  the  neatness 
and  order,  and  the  difference  between  these  people 
and  the  others.  One  patient  is  the  wife  of  a teacher, 
another  was  once  my  housemaid,  and  the  other  is  a 
pretty  little  woman,  member  of  the  church  in  Safita 
— all  are  from  Safita  in  fact.” 

A man  in  Ras  Baalbek,  when  asked  what  the  sick 
did  when  Dr.  Mary  Eddy  was  not  there,  replied  : 
“ They  are  left  in  the  house,  and  if  they  get  well, 
good  ; but  if  not,  why  we  can  but  let  them  die.” 

This  is  typical  of  all.  In  Quab  Elias  our  preacher 
does  considerable  work  among  the  sick,  using  the  lit- 
tle knowledge  he  has,  and  in  Furzul  our  teacher  is 
quite  successful  in  treating  the  cases  brought  to  his 
care.  But  these  are  all  make-shifts  and  are  under- 
stood to  be  such.  What  would  you  do  if  illness  oc- 
curred in  your  family  at  a place  where  out  of  the 
182 


Syria 


whole  year  there  are  but  twenty  days  in  which  a 
doctor  can  be  secured,  as  at  Hums  last  year ; or 
twenty-two  days,  as  at  Hameth,  when  Dr.  Harris  was 
tarrying  there  ? This  missionary  doctor  has  been  able 
to  visit  many  regions  of  the  country  where  the  mis- 
sionary without  the  doctor  would  find  no  welcome. 
The  bigoted  Maronite  and  the  strange  Nuseireeyeh 
welcome  the  physician  and  will  receive  from  his  lips 
or  from  those  who  accompany  him  words  to  which 
they  would  not  listen  under  any  other  circumstances. 
All  prescriptions  have  a verse  of  the  Bible  printed  on 
them. 

When  Dr.  Harris  spent  some  time  in  the  summer  of 
1893  at  Hadeth  he  had  a most  flourishing  clinic.  He 
insisted  on  a religious  service  before  giving  medical 
aid,  and  the  priests  of  Hadeth  and  the  near  villages 
made  strenuous  efforts  to  keep  their  people  away. 
But  the  people  enjoyed  the  services  as  well  as  their 
physical  improvement.  The  priest  at  Hadeth  be- 
sought his  people  not  to  attend  these  dispensary  serv- 
ices saying  : “ What  do  you  go  there  for  ? Is  it  for 

preaching?  Come  to  the  church  and  I will  preach  to 
you, — and  if  you  think  I cannot  do  it,  I will  get  a 
preacher  from  abroad.” 

A young  woman  living  in  one  village  applied  for 
church  membership  at  the  nearest  mission  station. 
She  had  been  converted  at  Dr.  Harris’s  clinic.  A 
woman  who  had  watched  an  operation  that  saved  a 
life,  said  : “ Talk  about  the  American  doctor  killing 

the  living,  he  makes  the  dead  alive  ! ” The  priests 
began  by  excommunicating  all  who  attended  the  serv- 
183 


Opportunities 


ices,  calling  our  workers  devils,  snakes,  monkeys,  and 
forbidding  anything  to  be  sold  to  them,  any  water  to 
be  carried  them,  or  even  any  speaking  with  them. 

An  old  patient  of  the  doctor’s  came  one  day  to  the 
village,  and  when  he  heard  how  even  food  was  not 
procurable,  he  warned  the  people  to  beware  how  they 
treated  these  foreigners.  Being  a man  of  influence  he 
hastened  to  send  to  the  governor,  who  threatened 
them  with  soldiers.  When  the  violent  priest  left,  the 
people  were  glad  and  urged  the  doctor’s  return,  offer- 
ing to  rent  or  build  houses.  “Many  followed  us  on 
the  road,  weeping  and  blessing,”  writes  Mrs.  Harris. 

At  another  time,  Dr.  Harris  traveled  to  Zeitun, 
ten  days  from  Beirut,  to  relieve  a deadly  epidemic  of 
typhus  and  dysentery.  There  were  7,000  people  in 
the  throes  of  starvation,  their  food,  a soup  made  of 
grass  and  weeds,  with  occasionally  a small  amount  of 
flour.  This  was  during  the  Armenian  massacres,  and 
they  had  8,000  or  more  refugees.  They  had  suc- 
ceeded, without  any  artificial  fortifications,  in  defend- 
ing themselves  for  four  months  against  the  enemy, 
when  through  the  intercession  of  European  consuls, 
honorable  peace  was  proclaimed.  The  only  physi- 
cians nearer  than  Aintab — four  days  distant — were 
two  Armenian  doctors  at  Marash,  and  they  were  ill 
with  typhus.  Dr.  Sheppard  of  Aintab,  of  the  Amer- 
ican Board,  did  heroic  service,  but  he  was  obliged  to 
return  home,  and  Dr.  Harris  with  two  Syrian  physi- 
cians, educated  at  Beirut,  and  his  assistant  Shickri 
Fakhuri  took  up  the  work  of  relief.  Through  the 
generosity  of  the  Red  Cross  Society  of  the  United 
184 


Syria 


States,  and  the  missionaries  of  Marash,  they  “ fed  the 
hungry,  treated  the  sick,  and  in  twenty-four  days  the 
epidemic  was  stamped  out.”  Sixty  a day  had  been 
dying. 

After  they  were  fairly  settled,  the  leading  village 
priest  received  this  letter. 

“ To  the  Priests  of  Tula,  and  its  People  : 

“ Our  dear  children.  After  presenting  to  you 
the  divine  benediction,  we  say  it  has  come  to  our  ears 
that  some  of  you  are  thinking  to  rent  your  houses  to 
the  Protestants,  and  this  is  to  inform  you  that  His 
Holiness  the  patriarch  forbids  you  to  do  so,  and  if  you 
will  do  it,  he  will  excommunicate  you  all. 

“ Furthermore,  we  repeat  if  you  do  rent  your 
houses  to  these  Frangy  Protestants,  or  sell  to  them,  or 
have  any  dealings  with  them  whatever,  be  ye  priest  or 
layman,  ye  are  sure  to  suffer  the  penalty  of  the  great 
excommunication.  May  we  again  repeat.  Any  one 
who  opposes  this  order  and  permits  these  Protestants 
to  enter  the  house,  at  that  very  moment  he  is  excom- 
municated and  cut  off  from  the  fellowship  of  Chris- 
tians and  must  be  absolved  from  this  curse  by  His 
Holiness  the  patriarch  before  he  can  be  restored  to  the 
benefits,  blessings  and  fellowship  of  the  Church. 

July  3,  1896.  The  humble 

Istifanous ’ Aword, 
Bishop  of  Tripoli.” 

Consternation  prevailed,  for  the  bishop  had  recently 
visited  them,  and  he  knew  that  the  houses  had  been 
rented.  The  priest  who  had  rented  Dr.  Harris  the 
house  went  to  beg  the  bishop  to  remove  the  curse. 
Upon  payment  of  $8.88  this  was  done,  provided  the 

185 


Opportunities 


people  did  not  attend  the  services  or  hold  any  religious 
conversation  with  the  Protestants.  However,  the 
people  disobeyed. 

Dr.  Mary  Pierson  Eddy,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  W.  W. 
Eddy,  D.  D.,  of  Beirut,  went  back  to  Syria  to  work 
as  a physician  in  1S93.  She  had  taken  six  diplomas, 
but  must  still  have  a permit  to  practice  medicine  in 
the  Turkish  Empire.  She  waited  in  Constantinople 
from  August  until  December.  There  was  no  real 
question  of  her  fitness,  and  the  United  States  Minister 
pressed  her  claims  solely  on  the  ground  of  treaty 
rights.  For  more  than  a year  the  Russian  ambassador 
had  been  trying  to  secure  a similar  decree  for  a Rus- 
sian woman,  but  when  in  January,  1894,  Dr.  Eddy’s 
legal  degree  of  doctor  of  medicine  and  surgery  was 
conferred,  the  Russian  was  still  waiting.  Behind  this 
success  lay  a “rampart  of  prayer.”  The  highest 
diploma  hitherto  granted  was  that  of  “learned 
woman.”  Medical  examinations  to  women  have  al- 
ways been  refused,  and  without  these  the  way  was 
always  open  for  jealous  ecclesiastics  or  officials  to  in- 
terfere with  the  work.  By  resolutely  holding  on,  Dr. 
Eddy  exempted  herself  from  all  this,  and  opened  the 
door  for  others  also.  One  year  she  rented  a house  in 
Sidon,  and  patients  flocked  from  all  quarters.  Dur- 
ing nine  months  she  travels,  visiting  a large  part  of 
the  field,  and  spending  much  time  at  important  out 
stations. 

Describing  the  work  at  Ras  Baalbek  she  wrote  : 
“ During  this  time  (three  weeks)  I have  performed 
over  forty  operations  on  the  eye  alone,  and  have  seen 
186 


MARY  PEIRSON  EDDY,  M.  D., 
FROM  “ REVIEW  OF  MISSIONS.’ 


; 


Syria 


about  five  hundred  new  patients.  Yesterday  I re- 
moved a tumor,  the  operation  lasting  one  hour  and 
forty-five  minutes.  How  my  staid  professors  in  New 
York  would  stand  aghast  at  the  boldness  with  which  I 
undertake  operations  ! No  aseptic  surroundings,  no 
clean  hospital  ward  to  put  them  in  afterwards,  but 
with  God’s  blessing  and  the  fresh  country  air  and  the 
utmost  care  and  cleanliness  during  the  operation,  we 
obtain  most  excellent  results.  My  assistant,  and  now 
my  Bible  woman  also,  can  be  depended  on  in  any 
emergency  and  repay  with  untiring  fidelity  in  the 
service  of  the  patients  the  slight  amount  of  attention  I 
have  been  enabled  to  devote  to  training  them.  The 
robber  Metawaly  clan  of  Beit  Dendesh,  who  occupy 
the  forests  west  of  us,  are  utterly  lawless,  regarding 
the  rights  of  neither  God  nor  man.  Their  neighbors, 
the  Metawaly,  are  little  better  as  regards  religion,  but 
do  not  steal  except  to  supply  their  necessities.  No 
one  dares  travel  in  any  direction  in  this  whole  region 
alone  and  unarmed. 

“One’s  soul  recoils  from  meeting  such  men  of 
blood,  whose  records  are  those  of  violence  and  cruelty, 
but  our  safety  in  these  parts  depends  entirely  upon 
their  good-will,  and  I constantly  say  to  my  helpers 
and  to  myself,  ‘These,  too,  must  be  won  for  Christ.’ 
‘ How  can  they  believe  on  him  of  whom  they  have 
not  heard?’  Yesterday  a delegation  came  from  a 
neighboring  village  headed  by  two  young  men,  dressed 
in  Damascus  silk,  and  heavily  armed.  They  came 
from  a Moslem  Prince  to  ask  me  to  go  to  visit  a 
patient  in  their  village.” 

187 


Opportunities 


On  another  occasion  she  contrasted  medical  work 
in  Syria  and  America.  “ Often  in  my  journeyings 
through  my  district — seven  days’  journey  from  north 
to  south — I long  for  the  companionship  of  some  of  my 
former  associates  who  are  serving  in  the  tenement 
districts  of  crowded  cities,  or  who  form  part  of  the 
staff  of  a richly  endowed  asylum  or  a stately,  well- 
appointed  hospital.  I would  show  them  Tyre  and 
Sidon,  glorious  Lebanon,  Yammouni  the  beautiful 
lake,  hidden  securely  away  below  the  Cedar  Moun- 
tain, Baalbek  with  her  ruins,  the  sources  of  the  Oron- 
tes,  and  many  other  historical  spots  where  my  tent 
has  been  pitched  and  days  or  weeks  have  been  spent. 
Other  towns  I could  point  out  where  houses  have  been 
rented  for  hospital  purposes,  and  more  rooms  taken  in 
adjoining  houses  as  patients  increased.  I could  show 
them  one  room  hired  for  a dispensary  whose  only 
window  opened  upon  a fig  tree,  upon  which  the  vil- 
lage boys  perched  all  day  long  in  relays  to  watch  our 
novel  proceedings  within  ; another  mountain  eyrie 
where  creeping  things  worked  their  way  along  through 
the  loosely  constructed  roof,  sending  showers  of  dirt 
at  unexpected  intervals  upon  us  at  work  below. 
Many  other  houses  have  I had  during  the  past  three 
trial  years.  Under  spreading  sacred  oak,  in  palace 
and  in  peasant’s  hut  the  medicine  chest  and  the 
‘ Hakime  ’ are  familiar  objects  now. 

“Well-appointed  clinics  in  America  have  the  ad- 
vantage of  fixed  hours  and  many  assistants  to  share 
the  work,  and  in  some  measure  the  responsibility. 
Long  before  5 a.  m.  on  summer  days  my  tent  is  sur- 
188 


Syria 


rounded  by  waiting  throngs  who  wonder  audibly, 
until  I appear,  ‘ Why  the  Hakime  sleeps  so  late  ! ’ 

“ My  only  leisure  time  is  when  I leave  every- 
thing and  take  a ride  to  the  neighboring  villages  to 
visit  homes  from  which  patients  have  come.  Clinic 
hours  are  often  extended  to  4 p.  m.  and  then  comes 
the  irksome  task  of  filling  the  long  row  of  waiting 
bottles,  for  my  sole  assistant  is  a Syrian  maiden  who  is 
doorkeeper,  water-supplier,  and  general  go-between. 
On  operation  days  she  is  brave  and  helpful.  When 
the  last  patient  has  been  seen  she  restores  order  out  of 
chaos  and  is  ready  to  help  with  the  pestle  and  spatula. 
Rapidly  we  work,  and  the  mixtures,  powders,  eye- 
washes, tablets  and  ointments,  are  labeled  and  again 
arranged  in  order.  Is  the  day’s  work  complete  ? No, 
indeed ; the  evening  has  come  and  the  village  now 
claims  us  for  its  own.  All  day  the  patients  have 
monopolized  our  time;  now  all  are  welcome.  The 
elders  range  themselves  along  under  the  large  Bible 
pictures  on  the  wall ; the  children,  wide  awake  with 
curiosity,  fill  every  available  inch.  One  little  corner 
is  kept  near  the  window  for  the  organ  and  myself. 
When  the  evening  gathering  or  ‘ sahra  ’ has  been 
closed  with  hymns,  Bible  stories,  and  prayer,  can  we 
shut  up  the  premises  for  the  night?  No,  indeed;  the 
messenger  is  to  start  before  daybreak  for  the  nearest 
post  office.  Home  letters  must  be  written ; some 
dressings,  drugs,  or  surgical  appliances  ordered  from 
Beirut;  some  letter  from  a former  patient  seeking  ad- 
vice considered  and  answered.  At  last  the  package  is 
sealed;  the  insecure  fastenings  of  doors  and  windows 
189 


Opportunities 


reinforced  by  strong  nails ; then  to  the  weird  call  of 
distant  jackals  and  the  nearer  music  of  the  ever-present 
village  dog,  sleep  is  wooed. 

“These  interruptions  one  would  hardly  anticipate 
in  New  York.  During  my  last  tour  of  two  and  a half 
months,  I had  to  suspend  clinical  work  one  day  to  cut 
short  the  career  of  a centipede  across  my  floor.  At 
another  time  waiting  groups  were  startled  by  the  sud- 
den irruption  of  the  robber  chief  who  held  the  whole 
countryside  in  his  sway.  Accompanied  by  a dozen 
tall,  fierce  fellows,  armed  like  himself  to  the  teeth, 
they  filed  into  the  clinic  room,  seeking  advice  for  one 
of  their  number  who  had  an  ugly  scalp  wound  and  a 
finger  nearly  severed.  Their  bold  manner  was  sub- 
dued by  their  novel  surroundings ; they  gazed  curi- 
ously at  the  alcove  where  native  beds  are  usually  piled 
and  saw  shelves  well  filled  with  bottles  and  boxes; 
they  looked  at  the  many  recesses  where  family  stores 
are  kept  and  beheld  strange  glittering  instruments  ; 
they  turned  to  the  deep  window  where  the  sterilizing 
instrument  was  doing  its  work  of  preparation  and  to 
the  traveling  chests  arrayed  for  operation  table. 
* Mashallah  ! ’ says  the  leader.  ‘ Has  your  country 
many  daughters  like  you  ? Truly  our  work  is  but  to 
despoil  and  deface;  yours  is  to  restore  and  repair.’ 

“Another  stir  at  the  door!  my  startled  gaze  falls 
upon  the  village  bier  which  is  being  set  down  at  the 
doorstep.  Am  I to  be  asked  to  help  those  past  hope 
of  human  reach?  No  hospital  ambulance  is  here,  so 
one  soul  with  hope  and  faith  yet  strong  within  her  has 
consented  to  be  thus  carried  by  her  friends.  We  lift 
i go 


Syria 


her  tenderly  into  the  room  for  a careful  examination, 
and  rejoice  that  in  this  case  help  can  be  given  and 
full  recovery  obtained.  A whisper  from  one  of  my 
old  patients,  ‘ A leper  is  at  the  gate  ! ’ The  other 
patients  refuse  to  let  him  come  farther.  ‘ Will  the 
Hakime  not  come  and  look  at  him  through  the 
needle’s  eye  or  window  of  the  gate  ? ’ Poor  fellow  1 
His  maimed  limbs  are  hardly  covered  by  the  rags 
which  were  his  only  portion  when  his  relatives  thrust 
him  out  from  his  former  home.  Food  and  clothing  he 
needs  most,  as  he  is  in  the  last  stage  of  his  awful  afflic- 
tion, and  his  voice  is  hardly  audible  as  he  pours  forth 
blessings  upon  us  amidst  the  recital  of  his  woes. 

“ The  emoluments  of  my  profession  furnish  the 
most  trying  problem  I have  to  deal  with,  and  in  a 
shape  which  rarely  tries  the  soul  of  an  American  phy- 
sician. He  who  comes  empty-handed  is  considered 
mean  and  miserly.  From  a mare,  the  gift  of  a Bed- 
ouin prince,  down  to  a snake  skin  I do  not  know  any- 
thing portable  which  has  not  at  one  time  or  another 
been  presented  to  me.  One  season  I had  eleven 
lambs.  At  another  time  a hedgehog  was  found  to  be 
rather  an  unpleasant  companion  in  our  limited  quar- 
ters. Fido,  our  splendid  watch  dog  would  look  at 
each  new  arrival  with  a knowing  glance,  which  seemed 
to  say : ‘I  don’t  mind  if  you  do  come;  you  won’t 

be  here  long.’  Fruit,  fish,  flowers,  flesh  of  all  kinds, 
deer,  shells,  birds,  fossils,  would  be  sent.  As  each  of 
these  received  and  accepted  meant  value  double  ex- 
pected, the  burden  of  obligation  and  of  satisfying  all 
expectations  was  too  much,  and  now  I receive  nothing 
191 


Opportunities 


that  I do  not  need  and  for  which  I cannot  pay  cash 
value  on  the  spot.  The  same  rule  applies  to  the 
great  feasts  prepared  by  village  magnates,  which 
prepare  the  way  for  free  treatment  of  all  relatives  of 
the  donor  and  his  neighbors.  I have  neither  time  nor 
strength  for  these  irregular  demands  for  my  services. 

“ As  in  America,  the  question,  * Who  should  receive 
free  treatment  ’ is  a difficult  one.  I require  from 
those  who  come  thus  to  bring  a certificate  of  their  in- 
ability to  pay  for  treatment  and  medicine,  signed  with 
the  seal  of  the  head  of  their  religion,  or  of  the  sheikh 
of  the  village  or  our  Protestant  teacher  in  their  place. 
When  leaving  town  after  a stay  of  several  weeks  I 
have  accumulated  a sheaf  of  papers  bearing  seals  and 
signatures  of  the  bishop,  priests  of  every  denomina- 
tion, Mohammedan  sheikhs  and  Metawaly  scribes, 
with  here  and  there  a Bedouin’s  mark  or  a Circas- 
sian’s sign  manual.  We  are  troubled  by  no  ‘ round- 
ers,’ and  the  gratitude  of  those  helped  is  touching. 
In  one  place  where  I had  straightened  the  cross-eyes 
of  a number  of  maidens,  a Moslem  said  to  me  ‘ You 
have  provided  those  destitute  ones  with  homes  by 
your  skill.  You  have  laid  up  more  merit  in  heaven, 
than  if  you  had  journeyed  to  Mecca.’  From  towns 
and  villages  which  I have  never  yet  been  able  to  visit, 
come  long  formidable  petitions  entreating  me  to  give 
them  a share  of  our  time. 

“ Fame,  fortune,  social  pleasures  and  position  may 
keep  some  at  home  who  would  otherwise  choose  life 
on  the  foreign  field,  but  the  contrast  my  work  affords 
in  the  opportunity  freely  to  preach  Christ  to  perishing 
192 


Syria 


souls  makes  me  feel  that  all  else  is  as  nothing.  Dur- 
ing the  stay  of  a month  in  one  place  in  my  last  tour, 
I had  six  hundred  patients  from  nineteen  towns  and 
villages.  A faithful  Bible  woman  seconded  my  ef- 
forts to  speak  a word  in  season  to  each  one.  Some 
stayed  for  treatment  two  and  three  weeks,  learning 
hymns  and  verses  while  waiting  their  turns  in  the 
clinic  and  in  many  cases  carrying  away  a hymn  book 
or  Testament,  which  they  had  bought,  to  their  distant 
homes.  Religious  literature  is  eagerly  welcomed  by 
many  of  the  village  priests,  and  in  the  clinic  room 
many  prayers  have  ascended  for  sin-burdened  hearts. 
The  responsibility  of  dealing  with  diseased  bodies  is 
great,  but  how  much  more  wisdom  is  needed  to  point 
these  poor,  ignorant,  oppressed,  downcast  people  to 
him  who  has  all  power  to  heal  and  save.  From  early 
morning  till  the  last  evening  caller  has  departed,  my 
supreme  aim  in  medical  work  is  to  commend  my 
Master  through  my  feeble  efforts,  and  point  those 
with  whom  I come  in  contact  to  him.  Preparation 
and  anticipation  in  America  were  pleasant,  but  the 
joy  of  the  realization  of  my  plans  of  service  brings  per- 
fect happiness  and  ever-renewed  joy  to  my  heart.” 

If  any  reader  should  come  to  the  conclusion  reached 
by  one  of  Dr.  Eddy’s  patients,  a Bedouin  woman,  the 
toil,  the  preparation,  and  the  many  prayers  that  have 
made  this  book  will  not  be  in  vain. 

She  writes:  “Yesterday  a poor  Bedouin  woman 

came  a three  days’  journey  to  see  me.  Oh,  how  terrible 
is  the  lot  of  these  poor  women  of  the  wandering  tribes 
of  the  desert ! This  woman  had  never  heard  there 
03 


Opportunities 


was  a Christ,  and  her  deep  interest  in  the  tale  of  what 
he  did  for  us  was  wonderful  to  watch.  When  she 
heard  of  his  death  she  exclaimed : ‘ I will  have 

blood  sacrificed ; the  choicest  of  my  flock  is  his  ! ’ 

“ She  was  much  puzzled  to  hear  that  Christ  had 
done  it  all  and  required  nothing  of  her;  that  the 
perfect  sacrifice  had  been  offered  once  for  all.  She 
replied  : ‘ But  I must  show  my  love.  I will  sew  a 

robe  for  the  poorest  of  my  tribe,  and  tell  him, 
“Master,  I do  this  for  thee,  for  thou  didst  so  much 
for  me.”  ’ ” 

How  are  we  showing  our  love  ? 

At  Shweir,  in  the  Lebanon,  the  United  Free  Church 
of  Scotland  has  had  a dispensary.  This  still  con- 
tinues though  the  work  was  transferred  to  our  Board, 
but  the  medical  missionary,  Dr.  William  Carslaw, 
is  still  supported  by  the  Scotch  Mission.  Dr.  Ham- 
man,  a graduate  of  our  Beirut  College,  assists  him. 

Cholera  and  malaria  have  slain  their  thousands  in 
Syria,  Turkey,  and  other  lands.  Rev.  Cyrus  Hamlin, 
D.  D.,  in  “Among  the  Turks,”  gives  some  rules  for 
treatment  that  have  saved  their  thousands.  We  quote 
in  full:  — 

“ i st.  On  the  approach  of  the  cholera,  every 
family  should  be  prepared  to  treat  it  without  waiting 
for  a physician.  It  does  its  work  so  expeditiously, 
that  while  you  are  waiting  for  the  doctor  it  is  done. 

“2d.  If  you  prepare  for  it,  it  will  not  come.  I 
think  there  is  no  disease  which  may  be  avoided  with 
so  much  certainty  as  the  cholera.  But  providential 
circumstances,  or  the  thoughtless  indiscretions  of  some 
194 


Syria 


member  of  a household,  may  invite  the  attack,  and 
the  challenge  will  never  be  refused.  It  will  probably 
be  made  in  the  night,  your  physician  has  been  called 
in  another  direction,  and  you  must  treat  the  case 
yourself  or  it  will  be  fatal. 

“ 3d.  Causes  of  attack. — I have  personally  in- 
vestigated at  least  a hundred  cases,  and  not  less  than 
three-fourths  could  be  traced  directly  to  improper 
diet,  or  to  intoxicating  drinks,  or  to  both  united.  Of 
the  remainder,  suppressed  perspiration  would  com- 
prise a large  number.  A strong,  healthy,  temperate, 
laboring  man  had  a severe  attack  of  cholera,  and 
after  the  danger  had  passed,  I was  curious  to  ascer- 
tain the  cause.  He  had  been  cautious  and  prudent 
in  his  diet.  He  had  used  nothing  intoxicating.  His 
residence  was  in  a good  locality.  But  after  some 
hours  of  hard  labor  and  very  profuse  perspiration,  he 
had  lain  down  to  take  his  customary  nap  right  against 
an  open  window  through  which  a very  refreshing  breeze 
was  blowing.  Another  cause  is  drinking  largely  of 
cold  water  when  hot  and  thirsty.  Great  fatigue,  great 
anxiety,  fright,  fear,  all  figure  among  inciting  causes. 
If  one  can  avoid  all  these  he  is  as  safe  from  the  cholera 
as  from  being  swept  away  by  a comet. 

“4th.  Symptoms  of  an  attack. — While  cholera  is 
prevalent  in  a place,  almost  everyone  experiences 
more  or  less  disturbance  of  digestion.  It  is  doubtless 
in  part  imaginary.  Everyone  notices  the  slightest 
variation  of  feeling,  and  this  gives  importance  to  mere 
trifles.  There  is  often  a slight  nausea,  or  transient 
pains,  or  rumbling  sounds  when  no  attack  follows. 

*95 


Opportunities 


No  one  is  entirely  free  from  these.  But  when  diar- 
rhoea commences,  though  painless  and  slight,  it  is  in 
reality  the  skirmishing  party  of  the  advancing  column. 
It  will  have  at  first  no  single  characteristic  of  Asiatic 
cholera.  But  do  not  be  deceived.  It  is  the  cholera, 
nevertheless.  Wait  a little,  give  it  time  to  get  hold,  say 
to  yourself,  ‘ I feel  perfectly  well,  it  will  soon  pass  off,’ 
and  in  a short  lime  you  will  repent  of  your  folly  in  vain. 
I have  seen  many  a one  commit  suicide  in  this  way. 

“Sometimes,  though  rarely,  the  attack  commences 
with  vomiting.  But  in  whatever  way  it  commences 
it  is  sure  to  hold  on.  In  a very  few  hours  the  patient 
may  sink  into  the  collapse.  The  hands  and  feet  be- 
come cold  and  purplish,  the  countenance  at  first 
nervous  and  anxious,  becomes  gloomy  and  apathetic, 
although  a mortal  restlessness  and  raging  thirst  tor- 
ment the  sufferer  while  the  powers  of  life  are  ebbing. 
The  intellect  remains  clear,  but  all  the  social  and 
moral  feelings  seem  wonderfully  to  collapse  with  the 
physical  powers.  The  patient  knows  he  is  to  die,  but 
cares  not  a snap  about  it. 

“ In  some  cases,  though  rarely,  the  diarrhoea  con- 
tinues for  a day  or  two,  and  the  foolish  person  keeps 
about,  then  suddenly  sinks,  sends  for  a physician,  and 
before  he  arrives,  ‘ dies  as  the  fool  dieth.’ 

“Course  of  Treatment. 

“ i.  For  stopping  incipient  diarrhoea  : 
r part  of  laudanum, 
i part  of  spirits  of  camphor, 
i part  of  tincture  of  rhubarb. 

196 


Syria 


Thirty  drops  for  an  adult  on  a drop  of  sugar,  will 
often  check  the  diarrhoea.  But  to  prevent  its  return, 
care  should  always  be  taken  to  continue  the  medicine 
every  four  hours  in  diminishing  doses — twenty- five, 
twenty,  fifteen,  ten,  nine — when  careful  diet  is  all  that 
will  be  needed.  (This  is  labeled  Mixture  No.  i.) 

“ In  case  the  first  dose  does  not  stay  the  diarrhoea, 
continue  to  give  in  increasing  doses  thirty-five,  forty, 
forty-five,  fifty,  at  every  movement  of  the  bowels. 
Large  doses  will  produce  no  injury  while  the  diarrhoea 
lasts.  When  that  is  checked,  then  is  the  time  for 
caution.  I have  never  seen  a case  of  diarrhoea  taken 
in  season  which  was  not  thus  controlled,  but  some 
cases  of  advanced  diarrhoea,  and  especially  of  relapse, 
paid  no  heed  to  it  whatever.  As  soon  as  this  becomes 
apparent,  I have  always  resorted  to  this  course.  Pre- 
pare a teacup  of  starch  boiled  as  for  use  in  starching 
linen,  and  stir  into  it  a full  teaspoonful  of  laudanum  for 
an  injection.  Give  one  third  at  each  movement  of  the 
bowels.  In  one  desperate  case  abandoned  as  hopeless 
by  a physician,  I could  not  stop  the  diarrhoea  until 
the  seventh  injection,  which  contained  a teaspoonful 
of  laudanum.  The  patient  recovered  and  is  in  per- 
fect health.  At  the  same  time  I used  prepared  chalk 
in  ten-grain  doses  with  a few  drops  of  laudanum  and 
camphor  to  each.  But  whatever  course  is  pursued,  it 
must  be  followed  up,  and  the  diarrhoea  controlled,  or 
the  patient  is  lost. 

“ 2.  Mustard  Poultices. — These  should  be  ap- 
plied to  the  pit  of  the  stomach,  and  kept  on  till  the 
surface  is  well  reddened. 


197 


Opportunities 


“3.  The  patient,  however  well  he  may  feel, 
should  rigidly  observe  perfect  rest.  To  lie  quietly  on 
the  back  is  one  half  the  battle.  In  that  position  the 
enemy  fires  over  you,  but  the  moment  you  rise  you  are 
hit. 

“When  the  attack  comes  in  the  form  of  diarrhoea, 
these  directions  will  enable  everyone  to  meet  it  suc- 
cessfully. 

“4.  But  when  the  attack  is  more  violent,  and 
there  is  vomiting  or  vomiting  and  purging,  perhaps 
also  cramp  and  colic  pain,  the  following  mixture, 
which  we  label  Mixture  No.  2 for  convenience  of 
reference,  is  far  more  effective  and  should  always  be 
resorted  to.  The  missionaries,  Messrs.  Long,  Trow- 
bridge and  Washburn,  have  used  it  in  very  many 
cases,  and  with  wonderful  success.  It  consists  of 
1 part  of  laudanum, 

1 part  of  tincture  of  capsicum, 

1 part  of  tincture  of  ginger, 

1 part  of  tincture  of  cardamon  seeds. 

(If  more  convenient,  camphorated  spirit  may  be  sub- 
stituted for  the  latter.)  Dose,  thirty  to  forty  drops, 
or  half  a teaspoonful  in  a little  water,  and  to  be  in- 
creased according  to  the  urgency  of  the  case.  In 
case  the  first  dose  should  be  ejected,  the  second, 
which  should  stand  ready,  should  be  given  immedi- 
ately after  the  spasm  of  vomiting  has  ceased.  During 
this  late  cholera  siege  no  one  of  us  failed  of  controling 
the  vomiting,  and  also  the  purging,  by,  at  most,  the 
third  dose.  We  have,  however,  invariably  made  use 
of  large  mustard  poultices,  strong  and  pure,  applied 
19S 


Syria 


to  the  stomach,  bowels,  calves  of  the  legs,  feet,  etc., 
as  the  case  seemed  to  require. 

“ Collapse. — This  is  simply  a more  advanced  stage 
of  the  disease..  It  indicates  the  gradual  failing  of  all 
the  powers  of  life.  It  is  difficult  to  say  when  a case 
has  become  hopeless.  At  a certain  point  the  body  of 
the  patient  begins  to  emit  a peculiar  odor,  which  I call 
the  death  odor,  for  when  that  has  become  decided  and 
unmistakable,  I have  never  known  a patient  to  re- 
cover. I have  repeatedly  worked  upon  such  cases  for 
hours  with  no  permanent  result.  But  the  blue  color, 
the  cold  extremities,  the  deeply  sunken  eye,  the  van- 
ishing pulse,  are  no  signs  that  the  case  is  hopeless. 
Scores  of  such  cases  in  the  recent  epidemic  have  re- 
covered. In  addition  to  the  second  mixture,  brandy 
(a  tablespoonful  every  half  hour),  bottles  of  hot 
water  surrounding  the  patient,  especially  the  extremi- 
ties, sinapisms  and  friction,  will  often,  in  an  hour  or 
two,  work  wonders. 

“In  case  of  sinkijig,  brandy  at  intervals  is  all-im- 
portant. I undoubtedly  saved  one  valuable  life  by 
continuing  its  use  with  the  other  means  during  the 
whole  night.  At  seven  o’clock  in  the  morning  the 
patient  fell  into  a quiet  slumber  and  was  saved. 

“ Thirst. — In  these  and  in  all  advanced  cases, 
thirst  creates  intense  suffering.  The  sufferer  craves 
water,  and  as  sure  as  he  gratifies  the  craving,  the 
worst  symptoms  return,  and  he  falls  a victim  to  the 
transient  gratification.  The  only  safe  way  is  to  have 
a faithful  friend  or  attendant  who  will  not  heed  his 
entreaties.  The  suffering  may  be,  however,  safely 
199 


Opportunities 


alleviated  and  rendered  endurable.  Frequent'  gar- 
gling the  throat  and  washing  out  the  mouth  will  bring 
some  relief.  A teaspoonful  of  gum-arabic  water,  or 
of  chamomile  tea,  may  frequently  be  given  to  wet  the 
throat.  ‘Sydenham’s  white  decoction,’  an  English 
preparation,  may  also  be  given  both  as  a beverage  and 
nourishment,  in  small  quantities,  frequently.  In  a 
day  or  two  the  suffering  from  thirst  will  cease.  In  a 
large  majority  it  has  not  been  intense  for  more  than 
twenty-four  hours. 

“ Diet. — Rice  water,  arrowroot,  Sydenham’s  white 
decoction,  crust  water,  chamomile  tea,  are  the  best 
articles  for  a day  or  two  after  the  attack  is  controlled. 
Chamomile  is  very  valuable  in  restoring  the  tone  of 
the  stomach. 

“ The  Typhoid  Fever. — A typhoid  state  for  a few 
days  will  follow  all  severe  cases;  there  is  nothing 
alarming  in  this.  It  has  rarely  proved  fatal.  Pa- 
tience and  careful  nursing  will  bring  it  all  right.  The 
greatest  danger  is  from  drinking  too  freely.  When  a 
patient  seemed  sinking,  a little  brandy  and  water  or 
arrowroot  and  brandy  have  revived  him.  In  this  ter- 
rible visitation  of  the  cholera,  we  have  considered 
ourselves  perfectly  armed  and  equipped,  with  a hand- 
bag containing  Mixture  No.  r,  Mixture  No.  2 (for 
vomiting,  etc.),  a pound  of  pounded  mustard,  a bottle 
of  brandy,  and  a paper  of  chamomile  flowers,  and  a 
paper  of  gum-arabic. 

“ There  is  one  fact  carefully  to  be  observed.  In  no 
instance  known  to  us  did  those  who  washed  the  cloth- 
ing and  bedding  of  a deceased  patient  escape  a severe 
200 


Syria 


and  generally  fatal  attack.  All  such  articles  should 
first  be  boiled,  the  steam  not  inhaled,  then  rinsed  in 
pure  water  and  hung  up  to  dry  without  trituration  by 
the  hand.  In  this  hand-washing  there  is  some  ab- 
sorption that  is  very  peculiar.” 

Dr.  Hamlin  says  filth  and  fatalism  are  the  two  chief 
factors.  Hundreds  of  cases  of  malaria  he  successfully 
treated  with  the  following  formula  for  twenty  years  : 

“ i.  Take  two  grains  of  tartar  emetic  and  dis- 
solve in  a glass  of  water.  Take  one  third  of  this  each 
morning  on  waking.  It  will  act  as  an  emetic  the  first 
morning,  if  the  dose  is  too  small  and  one  grain  may 
be  tried.  The  second  and  third  mornings  the  effect 
will  be  less. 

“ 2.  Prepare  twelve  pills  of  quinine,  three  grains 
each.  Take  four  of  them  each  morning  on  waking, 
for  three  mornings,  observing  to  give  fifteen  minutes 
to  each  pill  before  another  is  taken. 

“ 3.  For  one  week  take  the  quinine  in  diminishing 
doses  each  morning,  ten,  nine,  eight,  seven,  six,  five, 
four  grains,  after  which  stop  the  quinine,  and  for  a 
fortnight  take  five  to  ten  grains  of  carbonate  of  iron 
before  each  meal.  Diet  light,  but  nourishing,  soups, 
boiled  mutton,  etc.” 

In  the  East  and  in  the  West  Dr.  Hamlin  records 
success  for  these  treatments. 


201 


Summary  of  Medical  Missionary  Work 


SYRIA,  TURKEY,  ARABIA. 

American  Board  of  Co?nmissioners  for  Foreign  Alissions. 

Van,  Turkey  H.  D.  Marsovan,  Turkey  H.  D. 

Trebizond,  Turkey  medical  work  Mardin  H.  D. 

Cesarea,  Turkey  H.  D. 

American  Friends'  Foreign  Alission. 

Ramallah,  Syria  D. 

Bible  Lands  Missions'  Aid  Society. 

Marsovan,  Turkey  H.  Jaffa  H. 

Aleppo,  Turkey  D. 

British  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  Among 

the  Jews. 

Adrianople,  Turkey  medical  work 

Canadian  Church  Missionary  Society. 

Nablus,  Palestine  medical  work 

Church  Missionary  Society,  English. 

Acca,  Palestine  medical  work 

Kerak  H.  Gaza  H. 

Nablus  H. 

Edinburgh  Medical  Missionary  Society. 

Damascus  II.  D.  Nazareth  D. 

Friends'  Foreign  Missionary  Association,  English. 

Brummana  H.  D.  Abadiyeh  D. 

Ras  D. 


202 


Summary  of  Medical  Missionary  Work 


Beirut 

Jerusalem 


Safed 

Jerusalem 


Hebron 


Kaiserwerth  Deaconesses,  German. 

H.  Smyrna 

H. 

London  Jews'  Society. 

H.  D.  Hebron 
H.  2 D. 

A Iildmay  Mission. 

H.  D. 


Presbyterian  Church  of  England. 
Aleppo  medical  work 

Presbyterian  Church  of  Scotland. 
Smyrna  medical  work 


D. 


Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  North. 

Beirut,  Faculty  of  the  Syrian  Protestant  College  Medical 
Department. 

Rev.  George  F.  Post,  M.  A.,  M.  D.,  D.  D.  S. 
Harris  Graham,  B.  A.,  M.  D, 

Walter  Booth  Adams,  M.  A.,  M.  D. 

Rev.  Charles  A.  Webster,  B.  A.,  M.  D. 
Franklin  T.  Moore,  M.  A.,  M.  D. 

Beirut  & Lebanon  Itinerating  D.  Founded  1893 

Mary  Pierson  Eddy,  M.  D. 

Tripoli  H.  D.  Founded  1884 

Ira  Hands,  M.  D. 

Shweir  D. 

William  Carslaw,  M.  D. 

Reformed  Church  in  America,  Dutch. 

Busrah,  Arabia  D.  Bahrein  medical  work 


Reformed  Presbyterian  Cluirch  of  Scotland. 
Antioch  medical  work 


United  Free  Church  of  Scotland. 

Sheikh  Othman,  Arabia  H.  D.  Tiberias  H.  D. 

Aden  H.  D.  Constantinople,  Turkey  D. 

Safed,  Palestine  D.  Budapest,  Hungary  D. 

203 


CHAPTER  VIII 


AFRICA 

Dr.  Wanless,  in  “The  Medical  Mission,”  says  of 
work  in  this  great  land  : “ The  medical  mission  in 

portions  of  the  Dark  Continent  has  been  less  satisfac- 
tory from  a medical  standpoint  than  in  some  of  the 
other  great  mission  fields;  nevertheless,  it  forms  an 
integral  part  of  missionary  operations  all  over  the 
land.  Africa  presents  to  Europeans  the  most  trying 
of  all  climates ; it  is  the  most  disastrous  to  life  of  all 
mission  fields.  With  the  exception  of  parts  of 
Egypt  and  South  Africa  it  were  a wise  rule  to  limit 
the  number  of  those  who  go  as  missionaries  to  those 
who  themselves  have  a knowledge  of  medicine,  or 
who  could  go  accompanied  by  a physician.  The  suc- 
cess of  missions  in  Africa,  from  a human  standpoint, 
notably  depends  more  largely  upon  the  inherent 
ability  of  the  missionary  to  resist  the  inroads  of  Afri- 
can fever  than  on  any  other  physical  qualification. 

“ Owing  partly  to  a better  knowledge  of  the  climate 
on  the  part  of  the  missionary  himself,  and  owing 
largely  to  the  accumulated  experience  of  medical 
missionaries  and  other  explorers  who  have  arduously 
labored  to  secure  professional  knowledge  of  the 
death-dealing  districts  in  many  parts  of  East,  West 
and  Central  Africa,  mission  work  is  now  carried  on 
204 


Africa 


at  less  risk  and  loss  of  life  than  it  once  was;  and  if 
for  no  other  purpose  than  to  care  for  the  health  of  the 
missionary  families,  and  by  his  presence  to  make 
things  endurable,  the  medical  missionary  in  Africa  is 
indispensable. 

“ Medical  work  for  the  natives,  though  apparently 
unattended  with  the  physical  results  achieved  in  other 
fields  because  of  the  greater  prevalence  of  superstition 
and  the  greater  density  of  ignorance,  is,  despite  these 
obstacles,  fraught  with  gratifying  consequences.  A 
considerable  number  of  hospitals  and  dispensaries 
have  been  established,  and  excellent  physical  as  well 
as  spiritual  results  have  followed.  The  work  is  re- 
ceived with  growing  intelligence,  and  is  yearly  be- 
coming appreciated  more  and  more  for  its  own  sake. 

“ The  horrible  depravity,  the  frightful  cruelty  and 
the  appalling  ignorance  of  the  people  with  regard  to 
the  causation  and  cure  of  disease,  only  serve  to  in- 
tensify rather  than  limit  the  loudness  of  the  appeal 
which  the  ‘ open  sores  ’ of  the  Dark  Continent  so 
strenuously  and  pathetically  present.  This  great  con- 
tinent, with  an  area  equal  to  North  America  and 
Europe  combined,  and  until  a few  years  ago  largely 
marked  on  our  maps  as  ‘ unexplored  ’ and  ‘ sandy 
deserts,’  is  found  to  be  teeming  with  a population  of 
two  and  a half  times  that  of  the  United  States  and  to 
be  surging  all  over  with  disease  of  every  kind.  Dur- 
ing a day’s  visit  to  Port  Said,  Egypt,  I saw  scarcely 
a native  whose  eyes  did  not  present  ophthalmia  in 
some  form  or  stage.  If  this  is  the  condition  of  a city 
where  medical  assistance  is  easily  available,  what  must 
205 


Opportunities 


it  be  where  disease  abounds  and  no  physician  exists  ? 

“ African  ‘ medicine  men  ’ all  over  the  land  are  a 
curse  rather  than  a blessing  to  the  people.  They  in- 
crease rather  than  diminish  suffering.  All  pain  and 
sickness  is  looked  upon  as  a judgment  from  God,  and 
the  most  highly  valued  medicines  are  charms.  All 
they  know  of  medicine  is  associated  with  pain.  A 
wound  is  plugged  with  rags  or  leaves.  Rheumatic 
pains  receive  the  heroic  treatment  of  hot  irons  thrust 
into  the  affected  parts  ; fractures  are  allowed  to  unite 
without  help  or  are  handled  freely  instead  of  being 
kept  at  rest ; teeth  if  extracted  at  all,  are  pulled  in 
such  a manner  as  to  draw  forth  cries  of  intense  pain. 
Tumors  are  freely  punctured  with  sharp  sticks. 
Everything  must  hurt  to  do  good.  The  medicine 
man  is  an  object  of  dread  and  fear,  carrying  around 
in  his  ‘ bag  ’ all  manner  of  instruments  of  torture,  and 
medicines  having  the  ugliest  and  bitterest  properties 
possible  to  obtain. 

“In  the  midst  of  this  great  continent  a few  scores 
of  physicians,  government  and  missionary  (less  than 
seventy-five  of  them  medical  missionaries)  are  labor- 
ing, overwhelmed  by  the  cruelty,  and  staggered  by 
the  ravages  of  disease  all  about  them.  They  are 
faithfully  fighting  sickness  and  death  but,  alas,  with 
what  tremendous  odds  ! A hundred  thousand  physi- 
cians would  not  be  half  sufficient  to  stem  the  tide  of 
pestilence  and  plague  that  is  constantly  sweeping  over 
the  land.  The  call  from  Africa  is  imperative, 
pathetic,  strenuous.  Language  fails  to  furnish  terms 
with  which  to  describe  the  fearful  suffering,  the  ap- 
206 


Africa 


palling  wretchedness  that  everywhere  abounds  as  the 
result  of  cruelty  and  depravity.  Ethiopia  mutely 
stretches  forth  her  hands  toward  the  west  for  medical 
help.  Fain  would  she  stretch  out  her  hands  unto 
God  but  she  knows  him  not.  Fettered  by  the  dark- 
est superstition  and  enslaved  by  inconceivable  igno- 
rance and  the  most  atrocious  cruelty,  she  is  still  with- 
out the  light  of  the  Cross  and  the  knowledge  of  him 
who  was  called  from  her  own  borders  and  died  to 
redeem  the  souls  of  her  dusky  children.  Heroes  have 
bled  and  died  for  Africa  that  they  might  plant  in  her 
the  seed  of  the  gospel.  Multitudes  are  still  needed 
who  shall  live  and  labor  to  reap  the  harvest  now  pre- 
paring by  the  Ford  of  the  harvest  himself.  Who 
will  bear  to  Darkest  Africa  the  banner  of  the  Cross 
and  physical  relief?  ” 

Dr.  Moffatt  called  a medical  missionary  a double 
missionary.  “It  was  impossible  to  estimate  the 
value  of  a missionary  going  out  with  a thorough 
knowledge  of  medicine  and  surgery.”  He  knew,  for 
Dr.  David  Livingstone  was  his  son-in-law.  We 
surely  do  not  need  to  be  told  of  the  wonderful  labors 
of  Livingstone.  One  of  his  birthday  utterances 
might  well  be  recalled  daily  by  all  of  us  : “I  will 

place  no  value  on  anything  that  I have  or  may  pos- 
sess except  in  relation  to  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  If 
anything  that  I have  will  advance  the  interest  of  that 
kingdom  it  shall  be  given  or  kept,  as  by  giving  or 
keeping  it  I shall  most  promote  the  glory  of  him  to 
whom  I owe  all  my  hopes,  both  for  time  and  eternity. 
May  grace  be  given  me  to  adhere  to  this.” 

207 


Opportunities 


May  the  spirit  of  this  man  who  passed  out  of  time 
into  eternity  on  his  knees  in  prayer,  be  the  spirit  of 
the  medical  missionary  everywhere  ! 

In  some  regions  they  destroy  lepers  and  those  suf- 
fering from  unpleasant  diseases.  “ The  blind  and  de- 
formed must  shift  for  themselves.”  In  Calabar  and 
some  tribes  of  Western  Equatorial  Africa,  the  birth 
of  twins  is  considered  so  great  a curse  that  the  woman 
who  bears  them  is  disgraced  for  life ; she  must  throw 
them  into  the  woods,  where  they  are  left  to  die. 
Hundreds  of  infants  perish  annually  in  this  way.  In 
Central  Africa  and  on  the  coast  hematuria  and  bilious 
fevers  prevail  with  foreigners,  also  dysentery  and  liver 
abscesses. 

Dr.  Dennis  tells  us  in  “ Christian  Missions  and 
Social  Progress”:  “Throughout  Africa  the  belief  in 
the  influences  of  evil  spirits  and  their  ever-aclive 
machinations  is  all-powerful.  They  are  thought  to 
people  the  very  atmosphere  and  to  dwell  in  a thousand 
otherwise  innocent  things  which  are  commonplace 
features  of  every-day  environments.  They  are  sup- 
posed to  be  forever  busy  in  inflicting  trouble  and  suf- 
fering upon  humanity.  Some  of  them  are  good,  but 
the  great  majority  are  evil  and  bent  upon  doing  harm. 
Sickness  or  disaster  or  distress  of  any  kind  is  consid- 
ered due  to  their  malign  intervention.  There  are 
therefore  two  classes  of  individuals  in  African  com- 
munities whose  supposed  power  is  either  dreaded  or 
eagerly  sought.  One  consists  of  those  who  are  looked 
upon  as  capable  of  commanding  the  evil  spirits  and 
so  controlling  directly  their  activity.  The  other  con- 
208 


Africa 


sists  of  those  who  have  the  power  to  banish  them  or 
render  nugatory  their  influence.  They  are  known  re- 
spectively as  witches  and  witch  doctors.  Medical 
practice,  therefore,  is  almost  entirely  in  the  hands  of 
these  witch  doctors,  magicians,  diviners,  medicine 
men,  and  devil  doctors.  They  are  usually  shrewd, 
cunning  and  cruel,  sometimes  thoroughly  demented, 
or  it  may  be  that  possibly  they  are  in  some  instances 
actually  under  the  awful  sway  of  demons,  of  whose 
mysterious  activity  in  the  dark  realms  of  heathenism 
we  know  little  and  cannot  therefore  dogmatize.  The 
service  rendered  by  these  weird  characters,  being  a 
function  which  pertains  exclusively  to  them,  and  con- 
sisting, according  to  native  ideas,  of  an  actual  con- 
flict with  malign  spirits  whose  brooding  terror  rests 
upon  every  heart,  is  considered  as  of  special  value  and 
regarded  with  reverential  awe.  The  reign  of  such  an 
awful  delusion  in  the  innermost  consciousness  of  ig- 
norant creatures  is  fearful  to  contemplate.  We  who 
live  in  the  freedom  of  enlightenment  can  hardly  im- 
agine the  dread  charms  of  a life  supposed  to  be  in 
actual  contact  with  demons,  exposed  to  their  whims 
and  spites,  their  deadly  anger,  and  their  cruel 
malignity  ! What  an  opportunity  does  all  this  offer 
for  a species  of  demoniacal  blackmail,  and  what 
power  is  given  to  one  whose  ministry  is  supposed  to 
be  an  effective  remedy  for  all  the  sorrows  and  woes 
of  life.  It  is  no  wonder  that  they  turn  in  their  ig- 
norance to  one  who  is  regarded  as  possessing  the 
power  to  deliver  and  defend  them  in  the  desperate 
emergencies  in  which  they  find  themselves.” 

209 


Opportunities 


The  Rev.  John  Leighton  Wilson,  D.  D.,  is  quoted 
by  Dr.  Dennis  as  saying  : “ Witchcraft  is  a prominent 
and  leading  superstition  among  all  the  races  of  Africa, 
and  may  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  heaviest  curses 
which  rests  upon  that  benighted  land.  A person  en- 
dowed with  this  mysterious  art  is  supposed  to  possess 
little  less  than  omnipotence.  By  his  magical  arts  he 
can  keep  back  the  showers  and  fill  the  land  with  want 
and  distress.  Sickness,  poverty,  insanity  and  almost 
every  evil  incident  to  human  life  are  ascribed  to  its 
agency.  Any  man  is  liable  to  be  charged  with  it. 
Every  death  which  occurs  in  the  community  is  ascribed 
to  witchcraft,  and  some  one  consequently  is  guilty  of 
the  wicked  deed.  The  priesthood  go  to  work  to  find 
out  the  guilty  person.  It  may  be  a brother,  a sister,  a 
father ; there  is  no  effectual  shield  against  suspicion. 
Age,  the  ties  of  relationship,  official  prominence  anil 
general  benevolence  of  character  are  alike  unavail- 
ing.” 

The  treatment  of  a dying  African  woman,  a 
Christian,  will  illustrate  some  of  the  Dark  Continent’s 
ways.  She  was  of  the  West  Africa  Mission.  When 
very  ill,  unable  even  to  support  her  head,  they  carried 
her  from  the  bed  outdoors,  and  held  her  in  a chair, 
while  heathen  incantations  were  practiced  round  her. 
A few  hours  after,  when  some  of  the  Christian  women 
went  to  see  her,  she,  in  great  exhaustion,  recounted 
what  had  been  forced  upon  her,  and  added  : “ Don’t 
fear  the  curses  that  are  heaped  upon  you  by  my  family ; 
come  to  see  me  while  I stay.  Nothing  can  come  be- 
tween me  and  my  Saviour.”  Just  before  dying  she 
210 


REV.  ROBERT  HAMMILL  NASSAU,  M.D.,  D.  D. 


Africa 


exclaimed:  “ Oh,  I see  myself  brought  nearer,  made 
purer  and  purer.  I see  Jesus — my  Jesus.” 

An  earnest  plea  has  again  and  again  been  made  for 
a woman  medical  missionary  for  village  visitations  and 
medical  work  among  the  native  women  and  children 
at  Baraka.  There  is  no  response. 

A man  at  Benito  was  declared  by  his  friends  be- 
witched, and  after  his  death  they  opened  his  body  and 
insisted  that  they  had  proof  that  he  had  been  killed 
by  witchcraft.  The  house  in  which  he  died  was  pulled 
down  and  the  garden  destroyed. 

Dr.  Nassau  tells  us  that:  “Native  priests  are  also 
the  native  doctors  in  Africa.  I think  that  probably 
they  do  have  some  drugs  of  medicinal  value ; but 
their  theory  is  that  the  drug  is  efficient  only  because 
of  the  spirits  they  associate  with  it,  and  which,  enter- 
ing into  the  body  of  the  sick  person,  drives  out  the 
evil  spirit  that  caused  the  disease.  I suppose  in  cases 
where  the  sick  man  gets  well  that  the  drug  was  really 
good.  There  are  barks  and  leaves  that  they  use  that 
have  unquestionable  medicinal  value ; but  they  will 
not  tell  a stranger  from  what  tree  the  leaf  or  bark 
comes.  The  special  brand  of  medicine  that  would  be 
most  useful  to  them  would  be  surgery,  because  the  na- 
tive doctors  know  nothing  about  surgery.  The  na- 
tives have  frightful  abscesses  which  ought  to  be  opened, 
but  the  doctors  do  not  know  where  to  cut  them.”  Dr. 
Nassau  described  a native  doctor  trying  to  find  a bul- 
let that  had  penetrated  a man’s  breast.  He  “ made  a 
perpendicular  incision  in  the  man’s  chest,  extending 
down  to  the  last  rib,  and  then  he  cut  diagonally  across 
21 1 


Opportunities 


and  actually  lifted  the  walls  of  the  chest  and  groped 
among  the  vitals  for  the  ball.  He  got  it,  but  the 
patient  was  dead.” 

Disease  and  death  are  said  to  be  the  results  of  some 
person’s  malign  influence.  Only  one  person  is  ex- 
empt from  suspicion,  and  that  is  the  chief  himself. 
The  witch-doctor  tells  the  patient  that  some  one,  rela- 
tive, neighbor  or  friend,  has  exerted  witchcraft  and 
caused  the  disease  by  means  of  something  put  into 
the  food.  In  some  places  this  is  to  be  extracted,  by 
the  doctor  sucking  the  skin  of  the  supposed  seat  of 
evil ; and  when  sleight  of  hand  and  mouth  has  pro- 
duced the  deleterious  agent,  the  bark  of  a noxious 
tree,  branch  of  a shrub,  or  anything  else,  will  be  ex- 
hibited to  the  astonished  gaze  of  the  sufferer  as  the 
cause  of  all  his  ills.  Dr.  Soga  of  the  United  Free 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Scotland  Mission  tells  this. 

In  the  Presbyterian  West  Africa  Mission  at  Benito, 
Mrs.  Reutlinger  and  Miss  Christensen  dispense  medi- 
cines, for  there  is  no  doctor,  the  patients  paying  in 
whole  or  in  part  for  the  drugs. 

The  mission  at  Batanga  (a  center  of  work  and  a 
gateway  to  the  interior)  urged  the  erection  of  a small 
and  inexpensive  hospital,  the  small  native  structure, 
hospital  by  courtesy,  that  had  been  erected  by  the 
native  Christians  and  by  them  presented  to  the  mis- 
sion, having  proved  inadequate.  There  is  now  a 
hospital  with  twenty-four  beds,  also  a dispensary. 
Great  pride  is  taken  in  the  cement  floor  of  the  hos- 
pital, a unique  feature  in  West  Africa.  Those  who 
know  of  insect  life  there  will  appreciate  the  exceeding 
212 


Africa 


value  of  that  floor.  The  foreign  traders  who  are 
treated  are  charged  a fee,  which  is  turned  into  the 
mission  treasury.  The  value  of  the  medical  work  is 
so  great  that  it  has  given  the  mission  a high  standing 
in  the  community  and  with  the  German  government. 

Of  the  medical  work  the  people  say,  there  is 
“plenty,  plenty.”  The  harder  a medicine  hurts,  the 
more  good  they  think  is  in  it;  and  remedies  rejected 
at  home  because  of  the  pain  they  give,  are  here  very 
good.  “The  patients  cry  and  make  a great  noise, 
but  they  like  it  just  the  same,  and  think  they  will  be 
well  soon.  One  man  had  a tumor  on  his  hand  and 
insisted  upon  having  it  cut  open,  and,  although  we 
knew  it  would  go  away  by  the  action  of  the  medicine 
administered,  we  were  afraid  he  would  get  a native  to 
cut  it,  so  the  doctor  operated  for  him ; and  now  we 
have  to  treat  the  wound,  for  of  course  it  broke  out 
into  an  ulcer.  But  he  is  better  pleased  than  if  we 
had  not  allowed  him  to  have  his  own  way.  Some  of 
the  natives  can  be  trusted  to  take  medicine  themselves, 
but  most  of  them  must  come  to  the  dispensary  for 
treatment.  Everything  used  about  the  sick  is  called 
‘Medicine,’  even  putting  on  a bandage  is  ‘ Mekin 
Medicine.’  ” 

At  Efulen,  five  days’  journey  from  the  coast,  Dr. 
Silas  F.  Johnson  found  a region  comparatively  healthy, 
where  the  people  were  unwilling  to  pay  even  a trifle 
for  medicine,  although  often  able  to  do  so.  Few 
cases  of  malarial  fever  are  found.  Many  of  the  peo- 
ple have  ceased  to  believe  in  witches,  saying  they  be- 
lieve on  God.  The  witch-doctors  ceased  to  practice 
2I3 


Opportunities 


in  this  line  of  towns,  and  three  helped  with  the  work 
of  building  Dr.  Johnson’s  house  and  at  different  times 
called  on  him  for  treatment.  A hospital  also  was 
built,  both  house  and  hospital  being  of  simple,  inex- 
pensive style.  (The  hospital  cost  $25.00.)  In  pur- 
chasing materials  for  building  and  superintending  the 
work  the  missionaries  gained  much  language  practice 
and  cultivated  their  acquaintance  with  the  people. 
Medical  work  is  slowly  gaining  ground  there. 

At  Elat  in  July,  1897,  a dispensary  was  opened. 
The  first  day  one  hundred  people  came.  A Red 
Cross  flag  was  explained  to  them  and  at  2 p.  M.  it  was 
hoisted  on  a flag-staff,  to  indicate  that  the  dispensary 
was  open.  Schoolboys  and  station  workmen  ex- 
cepted, everyone  must  pay  something  for  treatment. 
A small  native  building  was  next  put  up  to  answer  for 
a hospital.  Very  soon  people  from  the  nearest  towns 
and  from  those  at  a distance  came  for  treatment.  The 
outlook  for  this  kind  of  work  seems  to  be  encourag- 
ing. The  first  three  months  nearly  one  hundred  dif- 
ferent patients  were  treated.  Efulen  is  about  seventy 
miles  southeast  of  Batanga,  and  was  opened  for  work 
in  1893;  Elat  is  seventy-five  miles  east  of  Efulen, 
and  Lolodorf  ninety  miles  northeast  of  Batanga.  By 
trains,  such  distances  would  mean  a few  hours  on 
comfortable  cars.  In  Africa,  when  one  has  to  be 
carried  from  one  place  to  another,  in  great  agony  of 
body,  to  consult  one  of  our  scattered  physicians,  they 
mean  twenty  miles  a day  for  several  days,  each  of 
which  prolongs  the  suffering  and  delays  recovery. 
This  was  the  experience  of  one  woman  missionary  in 
214 


DISPENSARY  AT  ELAT,  W.  AFRICA. 


Africa 


the  interior,  where  the  only  possible  traveling  costume 
for  a woman  is  a bathing-suit.  Imagine  what  she 
must  have  endured  on  a hundred  mile  trip,  painfully 
jolted  against  tree  trunks. 

The  following  is  a description  of  medical  missionary 
touring  : “ A few  days  ago  we  went  itinerating  up  the 

Gaboon  River.  In  one  of  the  towns  the  people  were 
making  medicine,  which  looked  like  mud.  They 
seemed  afraid  of  us  at  first,  and  I felt  half  afraid  of 
them,  they  looked  so  wild,  some  having  ruffled  bushes 
of  hair  five  inches  long.  Dr.  Bennett  gained  their 
confidence  little  by  little,  and  we  were  invited  into 
the  palaver  house,  where  he  made  them  laugh  heartily 
by  showing  them  his  magnet,  pen,  etc.  Then  he  had 
a very  attentive  audience  as  he  talked  to  them  on 
God’s  plan  of  salvation.  There  is  a woman  palaver 
between  another  town  and  this.  It  gave  me  a very 
strange  feeling  one  night  to  hear  the  war-horns,  songs 
and  drums.  This,  with  sand-flies,  cockroaches  and 
centipedes,  makes  one  realize  it  is  Africa.  I am 
thankful  to  be  here.  We  love  the  people  so  much, 
and  Jesus  longs  for  their  hearts.  One  man  was  so 
pleased  with  the  doctor’s  treatment  that  he  twice 
offered  to  pay  an  extra  franc.” 

In  a letter  to  a Christian  Endeavor  Society  we  read  : 
“The  darkness  in  Africa  is  so  great  that  at  times  I al- 
most think  I can  feel  it.  Superstition,  fetishism, 
witchcraft,  have  a terrible  hold  on  the  people.  A man 
comes  to  my  dispensary  with  disease  far  advanced. 
He  says  : * I have  a witch,  I have  tried  to  kill  the 

witch,  I cannot  succeed  ; you  try  ! ’ 

2I5 


Opportunities 


“ A man  comes  in  from  the  bush  with  many  charms 
hanging  on  him.  I ask:  ‘ What  is  this  for?  What  is 
that  for?  ’ He  laughs  good-naturedly  and  replies  : — 

“‘I  am  on  a journey;  this  small  deer  horn  is 
biang  esoli  ( biang  is  Fang  for  medicine) ; it  makes  me 
invisible  to  any  enemy  I may  meet  in  the  path ; if  he 
shoots  at  me  the  bullets  will  not  harm  me,  that  is 
biang  esoli  ! ’ 

“ A small  piece  of  hard  wood  hangs  from  bush  rope 
tied  around  his  waist ; that  helps  to  show  him  a safe 
path  through  the  forest.  A leopard  tooth  hangs  from 
a cord  around  his  neck  ; this  is  * gun  medicine  ’ — it 
will  make  his  gun  shoot  straight.  A piece  of  iron 
with  a tooth  from  a night  civet  fastened  in  it,  gives 
him  fortune  in  trade.  A piece  of  old  wood  with  a 
few  nails  in  it,  prevents  people  from  cheating  him ; 
another  iron  charm  tells  him  how  to  find  the  man  who 
has  wronged  him.  A small  horn  with  a hole  in  its 
apex,  he  uses  to  communicate  with  the  spirits  of  war, 
which  let  him  know  by  signs  whether  he  would  better 
make  a palaver  with  certain  other  people  or  not. 
Another  leopard  tooth  would  tell  him  if  he  should 
fight.  He  takes  a bowl  made  from  a small  log,  fills  it 
with  water  and  holding  the  leopard  tooth  high  in  the 
air,  allows  it  to  drop  into  the  bowl.  Then,  if  the 
point  of  the  tooth  points  in  the  direction  of  the  town 
of  his  enemies  he  will  do  well  to  fight  them,  but  if  the 
root  of  the  tooth  faces  toward  the  town,  he  will  surely 
lose  in  a fight. 

“In  the  garden  round  my  house  grow  banana 
and  plantain  trees,  guavas,  orange  and  papayas. 

216 


Africa 


Beautiful  birds,  butterflies  and  insects  fly  round  at 
this  season  of  the  year,  and  the  children  bring  me 
hundreds  of  objects  of  many  rare  and  new  varieties. 
After  a long  tired  day,  a few  moments  given  to  pre- 
serving and  arranging  specimens  often  eases  an  aching 
head,  perhaps  driving  off  a fever.  The  best  thing  in 
Africa,  to  avoid  sickness,  is  to  trust  God  and  keep 
busy. 

“ Sin  and  superstition  in  all  their  worst  forms  are  at 
the  very  doors  of  the  mission  to-night.  Listen  to  the 
drums  beating  as  I write.  It  is  in  the  town  of  the 
‘ Nge  ’ people  ; they  are  jubilant.  Why  ? This  morn- 
ing one  of  their  young  men  returned  in  his  canoe  with 
a girl  stolen  from  another  town.  Now  he  has  another 
woman  to  toil  for  him,  while  he  sits  in  the  palaver 
house  all  day  and  boasts,  ‘ I have  stolen  a girl  from 
the  Esibiken  people.  I did  it  all  myself ; what  a 
great  man,  what  a real  man  am  I.’  To-morrow,  per- 
haps, men  will  talk  the  ‘palaver,’  and  then  people 
will  be  shot  in  the  darkness  of  night,  or  walking  the 
forest  path  near  the  town ; and  those  people  shot  are 
usually  women.  Why  always  women?  I asked  a 
man  this  question  once,  and  he  said  it  was  more  safe 
to  shoot  at  a woman  ; she  had  no  gun  ; a man  might 
shoot  back. 

“Let  me  talk  with  you,  Endeavorers,  through  this 
letter,  once  again  as  when  you  tried  to  excel  in  kind- 
ness to  the  medical  student  who  was  preparing  for 
foreign  service.  It  is  the  memory  of  your  kindness 
that  gives  me  confidence  to  plead  for  your  prayers, 
that  laborers  and  means  be  forthcoming  in  plenty  to 
217 


Opportunities 


advance  Christ’s  kingdom  here  on  earth ; laborers 
willing  to  go  anywhere  for  our  Master — even  to  Africa. 

“ May  it  comfort  you  to  know,  that  often  when 
sick,  in  perplexity,  the  mail  from  home  has  arrived 
and  I have  taken  the  little  package  which  was  for  me, 
and  shutting  the  door,  sat  down  and  read  your  letters ; 
somehow  when  I had  finished,  I did  not  remember 
that  I had  ever  been  sick,  perplexed  or  weary,  but 
found  myself  filled  with  new  courage,  thanking  God 
for  friends,  realizing  that  loving  hearts  beat  for  me  at 
home,  and  my  own  heart  was  filled  with  new  longings 
to  do  better  and  more  consecrated  work  for  God  and 
Africa.” 

The  veteran  medical  missionary,  Dr.  Nassau,  has 
been  a worker  in  Africa  since  1861.  He  never  has 
had  the  African  fever,  though  exposed  in  insalubrious 
places,  camping  out  in  sun  and  rain.  He  was  first 
stationed  in  the  Island  of  Corisco.  Then  he  lived 
and  labored  in  French-Congo  territory  for  many  years 
among  the  Benito  people.  Kangwe  in  1871  was  his 
next  home,  then  Talaguga ; next  Baraka,  now  he  is 
stationed  at  Batanga  where  his  work  recently  has  been 
chiefly  Bible  translation  and  revision,  and  church 
work. 

He  ascribes  his  long  years  of  work  to  the  fact  that 
he  formed  a precautionary  habit  of  fortifying  himself 
by  proper  treatment  before  going  into  danger,  instead 
of  waiting  until  he  had  contracted  fever  and  then 
beginning  treatment.  He  regards  medical  knowledge 
as  almost  indispensable. 

“In  Africa,”  he  says,  “one  needs  quinine,  though 
218 


Africa 


it  can  easily  be  overdone.  Lemon  juice  in  a cup  of 
good  strong  tea  will  frequently  remove  biliousness  and 
avert  more  serious  complications.  I do  not  believe  in 
alcoholic  stimulants.  They  can  never  be  used  with 
safety  in  Africa  as  a beverage.” 

Mr.  Douglass  M.  Thornton  of  the  C.  M.  S.  Soudan 
Mission  in  his  invaluable  volume  “ Africa  Waiting  ” 
quotes  these  “Rules  for  the  Preservation  of  Health  in 
the  Tropics.”  They  are  taken  from  “Guide  to 
Health  in  Africa,”  by  Surgeon-Major  T.  H.  Parke.  : — 

“ Water. — All  drinking  water,  no  matter  how 
sparkling  and  pure,  should  invariably  be  boiled,  to 
insure  its  freedom  from  dangerous  constituents.  Cold 
weak  tea,  without  sugar  or  milk,  is  best  for  the  march. 
Water  should  always  be  drawn  from  up-stream,  and 
from  the  center  if  possible.  Two  grains  of  permanga- 
nate of  potash  to  the  quart  purifies  water.  If  muddy 
use  alum. 

“Sun. — No  precautions  can  be  too  great  for  pro- 
tecting the  head  from  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun.  The 
use  of  a proper  headdress  and  umbrella,  also  a spinal 
pad  for  morning  and  evening  sun,  is  judicious. 

“ Chills,  draughts,  sitting  in  damp  clothes,  espe- 
cially when  heated  after  violent  exercise  and  copious 
perspiration,  also  cooling  of  the  body  suddenly  in  any 
way,  are  certain  to  be  followed  by  fever. 

“ Sleep  as  far  as  possible  off  the  ground  and  always 
under  mosquito  curtains  at  night. 

“Diet  should  be  plain;  meat,  fish,  vegetables, 
well-boiled  fruit,  rice  and  cereals. 

“Alcohol  during  the  day  is  most  dangerous. 

219 


Opportunities 


“ Tub  in  the  early  morning,  or  at  the  end  of  a 
march,  before  cooling  ; never  while  digestion  is  going 
on,  and  always  tepid  if  possible. 

“ Camp. — Select  highland  plateau  near  water  sup- 
ply. Do  not  disturb  the  soil.  Avoid  ravines.  Never 
camp  to  leeward  of  a swamp  unless  separated  by  a 
belt  of  trees  or  a river.  Site  of  latrine  should  be  se- 
lected immediately  on  halting,  and  covered  with  a 
hurdle  and  sods  so  as  to  exclude  flies,  leaving  only  a 
few  openings  about  one  foot  square.  Directly  after 
the  tent  is  pitched,  hoe  a gutter  close  to  the  walls. 

“ Cleanliness. — Hair  should  be  cut  short. 

“ Clothitig. — The  bodily  temperature  should  be 
kept  as  equable  as  possible.  Loosely-fitting  woolen 
clothes  are  preferable.  Light  Kamarband  should  be 
worn  day  and  night.  On  halting  after  a march,  put 
on  a wrapper  so  as  to  cool  gradually.  Get  under 
cover  and  change,  if  possible.” 

The  success  of  the  work  anywhere  must  be  ac- 
counted for,  as  by  Miss  Seth-Smith  of  Tangier  : “In 

the  medical  work  I am  astonished  myself,  at  the  re- 
sults I get  sometimes,  and  I know  it  is  because  I pray 
much  over  all  my  cases.” 

Dr.  W.  L.  Thompson,  of  East  Central  Africa, 
A.  B.  C.  F.  M.,  says  : “In  the  medical  arm  of  the  mis- 
sionary service,  I fully  recognize  that  their  great  need 
is  a change  of  heart,  and  that  this  must  come  through 
a view  of  the  Lamb  of  God  and  knowledge  of  his 
dying  love.  But  how  is  this  to  be  brought  to  them  ? 
It  is  not  enough  that  we  tell  them  of  Christ’s  love. 
The  story  will  seem  but  an  ‘ idle  tale  ’ to  them  unless 
220 


Africa 


they  see  that  love  exhibited  in  living  form  before  their 
eyes.  In  what  other  way  can  we  so  readily  do  this,  as 
in  relieving  their  physical  sufferings  ? As  we  look  at 
them,  living  in  their  wretched  huts,  with  scarcely  any 
clothing,  they  seem  to  us  to  be  destitute  of  all  things, 
but  this  is  not  their  view  of  their  condition.  In  re- 
gard to  these  things  they  are  well  satisfied.  Should 
we  give  them  clothes  they  would  not  look  upon  it  as 
an  act  of  charity,  for  they  feel  no  need  in  this  line. 
They  would  not  feel  that  we  were  sacrificing  anything 
for  their  good,  for  they  look  upon  us  as  possessing  in- 
exhaustible wealth.  They  would  simply  consider 
that  we  wished  to  win  their  favor,  probably  for  some 
special  end.  But  in  regard  to  their  physical  sufferings 
they  do  feel  a need ; they  often  suffer,  hopeless  of  re- 
lief, and  if  relief  is  given  they  feel  that  that  is  some- 
thing to  be  thankful  for,  that  they  have  been  be- 
friended. They  become  more  ready  to  listen  when 
shown  their  great  needs  and  the  provision  which  has 
been  made  for  them. 

“ Then  many  of  their  most  debasing  and  ensnaring 
superstitions  are  connected  with  their  theories  and 
treatment  of  disease,  and  to  meet  these  superstitions 
it  is  desirable  that  we  should  clearly  understand  the 
subject  with  which  they  are  connected.  So  firmly  is 
the  belief  in  these  superstitions  fixed  in  their  minds 
that  one  who  has  professed  Christianity  for  years,  and 
has  appeared  to  ‘run  well,’  feels  impelled,  when  some 
sickness  or  calamity  comes  upon  him,  to  seek  help 
from  some  of  these  superstitious  rites.  Nor  is  this 
so  strange  when  we  think  how  much  superstition  still 
221 


Opportunities 


finds  place  in  Christian  lands,  and  even  among  Chris- 
tian people  of  those  lands ; but  there  it  is  limited 
by  public  sentiment  to  less  obnoxious  forms,  while 
here  it  rules  as  a cruel  tyrant.  The  belief  in  witch- 
craft is  very  firmly  established.  Where  one  becomes 
sick,  some  one  must  be  to  blame.  The  offender  must 
be  ‘smelt  out’  and  when  discovered  is  most  cruelly 
treated.  How  can  such  a superstition  be  better  met 
than  by  showing  them — placing  before  their  eyes — 
the  agents  of  disease,  showing  how  it  may  be  intro- 
duced into  animals  with  the  same  deleterious  effect 
that  it  produces  in  human  beings  ; that  its  growth  and 
development  is  as  definite  and  regular  as  is  that  of  the 
corn  in  their  fields,  the  ticks  in  their  cattle,  or  the  in- 
testinal worms  with  which  they  all  are  familiar  ? 

“ Closely  related  to  the  overcoming  of  superstitions, 
is  the  gaining  of  confidence  in  the  missionary  and  his 
message ; and  here  the  influence  of  skillful  treatment 
of  their  sick  is  of  great  importance.  Not  only  does 
a right  use  of  medical  skill  convince  them  of  our 
kindly  regard,  but  the  triumphs  of  modern  medical 
science  often  have  the  impression  of  miracles  to  them. 
And  why  may  they  not  legitimately  serve  a similar  pur- 
pose to  these  poor  heathen  that  the  miracles  of  Christ 
and  his  apostles  did  to  those  whom  they  taught  and 
do  to  us?  Christ  doubtless  delighted  in  relief  of 
physical  suffering  when  consistent  with  spiritual  good ; 
but  it  seems  equally  certain  that  he  had  a much  higher 
object  in  view,  in  the  performance  of  miracles — to 
draw  the  attention  of  men  to  the  great  truth  he 
had  to  offer  them  and  to  convince  them  that  he 


222 


Africa 


spoke  with  authority.  ‘ If  ye  believe  not  me,  believe 
the  works.’  Aside  from  this  object,  it  seems  doubtful 
whether  miracles  would  ever  have  been  wrought 
merely  for  the  relief  of  physical  suffering.  Why 
should  not  the  miracles  of  modern  medical  science 
help  to  accomplish  these  great  ends  for  the  heathen 
world  ? 

“ The  relevancy  of  the  above  considerations  should, 
it  seems,  be  established  by  the  fact  that  in  the  absence 
of  the  medical  missionary  all  missionaries  in  this  land 
feel  compelled  to  treat  disease.  If  they  never  have 
given  any  attention  to  the  subject  of  medicine,  they 
are  led  to  do  so  at  once  upon  entering  upon  mission 
work.  All  such  work,  if  skillfully  performed,  is  found 
useful ; and  of  course  the  greater  the  skill  employed 
(other  things  being  equal)  the  more  good  may  be 
looked  for ; while  in  like  manner,  the  results  of  un- 
skillful efforts  may  be  prejudicial  to  the  cause. 

“It  is  suggested  that  medical  work  may  have  its 
perils  on  the  secular  side.  It  would  seem  to  me  that 
if  there  is  danger  here,  it  must  be  in  the  fact  that  men 
who  are  not  really  consecrated  may  be  more  attracted 
to  this  than  to  other  departments  of  missionary  work; 
though  that  danger  is  not  confined  to  this  department 
of  the  work.” 

Africa  has  but  one  medical  missionary  for  each 
.3,500,000.  These  are  allotted  to  him  by  our  indif- 
ference and  inadequate  supplies.  Africa  had  forty- 
three  hospitals  and  one  hundred  and  seven  dispensaries 
in  1901. 


223 


Summary  of  Medical  Missionary  Work 


American  Baptist  Missionary  Union. 
Leopoldville,  Lukunga  medical  work 

Banza  Manteka  H.  D. 

Mukimvika  II.  Sanitarium 

American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions. 
Amanzimtote  rl.  Chisamba  D. 

Kamundongo  II.  D.  Sakanjimba  D. 

Baptist  Missionary  Society,  English. 

San  Salvador,  Upper  Congo  2 D.  Watben  1 D. 

Bolobo,  Upper  Congo  I D.  Yakusu  D. 

Brethren's  Mission,  English. 

Casa  Ilolandeza,  Benguella  medical  work 

Bible  Lands  Missions'  Aid  Society,  English. 
Tetuan  D. 


Church  Missionary  Society,  English. 


Cairo 

H.  2 D. 

Onitsha,  Niger  R. 

II. 

D. 

Khartum 

H. 

Obosi 

D. 

Hausaland 

medical  work 

Mzizima,  Mombasa  Is.  East  Equatorial  Africa 

Rabai  Mombasa 

H.  D. 

Kikuyu  medical  work 

Taveta,  Mombasa 

D. 

Jilore 

H. 

Changombe,  Mombasa  D. 

Mengo,  Uganda 

H. 

D. 

Frere  Town 

D. 

Toro,  Uganda 

D. 

Mamboia 

H. 

Ngogwe,  Uganda 

D. 

Mpwapwa 

D. 

Gayaza,  Uganda 

D. 

Kisokwe 

D. 

This  medical  work  has  central  hospitals  with  dispensaries  at 
the  near-by  towns  or  villages. 


224 


Summary  of  Medical  Missionary  Work 


Church  of  Scotland  Mission. 

Blantyre  H.  Domasi  D. 

Friends'  Foreign  Missionary  Association,  English. 

Antanarivo,  Madagascar  D. 

Faravokitra,  Madagascar  D. 

Mandridrano,  Madagascar  medical  work 

Imperial  East  Africa  Company's  Mission. 

Kibwezi  medical  work 

Kaiserwerth  Deaconesses,  Germany. 

Cairo,  Egypt  H.  D.  Queta,  W.  Africa  medical  work 

Alexandria,  Egypt  H.  D.  Dar-es-Salanam  H.  D. 

Capland  medical  work 

La  Mission  Romande,  Swiss. 

Elim,  Transvaal  H. 

London  Missionary  Society. 

Niamkolo,  Lake  Tanganyika  Fianarantson,  Madagascar  H.  2 D. 
Kawimbi,  Lake  Tanganyika  D.  Betsileo,  Madagascar  3 D. 
Kamboli,  Lake  Tanganyika 

Mildmay  Mission,  English. 

Tangier  D. 

Missionary  Society  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  Gen- 
eral Synod,  U.  S. 

Muldenburg  medical  work 

North  Africa  Mission,  English. 

Tangier,  Morocco  2 If.  2 D.  Susa,  Tunisia 

Casablanca,  Morocco  H.  D.  Tripoli 

Tetuan,  Morocco  2 D.  Alexandria,  Egypt 

Norwegian  Missionary  Society. 

Antsirabe,  Madagascar  H. 

Antanarivo,  Madagascar  H.  D. 

Morondava,  Madagascar  D. 

225 


Q Q Q 


Opportunities 


Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Plissions,  North. 

Founded 


Batanga 

Mary  Laffin  H.  D.  1S95 

R.  M.  Johnston,  M.  D. 

Rev.  R.  H.  Nassau,  M.  D.,  D.  D. 

Efulen 

H.  1896 

Silas  F.  Johnson,  M.  D. 

Elat 

H.  D.  1898 

A.  B.  T.  Lippert,  M.  D. 

Benito 

D.  1891 

W.  S.  Lehman,  M.  D. 

H.  L.  Weber,  M.  D.,  station  unassigned. 

Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  South. 

Luebo,  Congo  medical  work 

United  Presbyterian  Church  of  North  America. 

Assiut  medical  work  Tanta  medical  work 

Rabat  Medical  Mission. 

Rabat,  Morocco  medical  work 

Sociiti  Des  Missions  Evangeliques  Chez  Les  reifies  Non 
Chretiens. 

Sepula,  Zambezi  H.  Senegal  medical  work 

Lessouto  medical  work 

Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel,  English. 

Umtata,  South  Africa  medical  work 

Delagoa  Bay,  S.  E.  medical  work 

Durban,  Natal  medical  work 

Swedish  Missionary  Society. 

Massowah,  Abyssinia  medical  work 

Swiss  Missionary  Society. 

H. 


Elim,  Transvaal 


226 


Summary  of  Medical  Missionary  Work 


Universities'  Mission  to  Central  Africa,  English. 
(The  Livingstone  Mission  on  Lake  Nyassa.) 


Likoma 

H. 

Magila 

H. 

(Steamer  on  Lake  Nyassa 

Kota  Kota 

D. 

with  special  sick  bay  and 

Karamba 

D. 

hospital  accommodations.) 

Zanzibar 

H. 

Baruza 

H. 

United  Free  Presbyterian  Church,  Scotland. 


Duke  Town,  Old  Calabar 
Unwana,  Old  Calabar 
Bomvanaland 
Bandawe,  Lake  Nyassa 
Karonga,  Lake  Nyassa 
Livingstonia  Institute 
Umsinga,  Natal 
Lovedale,  Kaffraria 


H.  D. 

D. 

medical  work 
H. 

medical  work 
H. 

H. 

H. 


Zenana  Bible  and  Medical  Mission  Society,  English. 
Durban,  Natal  D. 


227 


CHAPTER  IX 


WHERE  LITTLE  IS  DONE 

There  was  no  medical  mission  work  in  Mexico  un- 
til July,  1891,  when  Levi  B.  Salmons,  B.  D.,  M.  D., 
began  work.  He  was  sent  by  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Board,  North.  In  1896  he  began  to  build  his  hos- 
pital, Casa  de  Salud  del  Buen  Samaritano,  at  Guan- 
ajuato. “At  that  time  there  was  no  denominational 
effort  for  the  use  of  medical  missionary  work  among 
Roman  Catholic  nations,”  so  writes  Dr.  Salmons  in  a 
personal  letter.  “This  work  succeeded  in  such  a 
way  as  to  have  an  influence  upon  other  denominations 
and  several  others  have  added  this  sort  of  work  to 
their  missions  in  this  country  and  others  are  preparing 
to  do  so.  We  are  working  in  two  cities  and  two 
county-seat  towns,  with  four  dispensaries,  a hospital 
and  a nucleus  of  a sanitarium  for  patients  from  the 
United  States.” 

The  Southern  Methodists  have  a hospital  at  San 
Luis  Potosi  and  at  Monterey.  The  former  has  fifteen 
beds.  The  Adventists  have  a fine  sanitarium  and 
also  another  place,  on  the  same  methods  but  for  the 
poor  which  they  call  a “ meson  ” in  Guadalajara; 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterians  have  a medical  worker 
in  the  person  of  a woman  physician  in  the  State  of  San 
Luis  Potosi. 


228 


Where  Little  is  Done 


In  Central  America,  at  Santo  Tomas,  Chicaste- 
nango,  Guatemala,  Mr.  C.  F.  Secord,  an  independent 
missionary  has  a dispensary.  The  Moravians  also 
have  medical  work. 

Mrs.  Campbell  in  1893,  at  Zitacuaro  describes 
some  of  her  experiences:  “ In  no  home  where  I vis- 

ited was  there  a floor  other  than  the  ground.  The 
beds  were  boards  with  a mat  on  them  or  a mat  on  the 
floor.  At  one  home  I gave  a daughter  some  medi- 
cine from  our  now  famous  homoeopathic  medicine- 
chest,  and  it  is  quite  amusing  to  see  the  different  cases 
that  have  since  come  to  be  cured.  One  man  had  a 
growth  over  one  of  his  eyes.  To-day  a woman  came 
who  can  hardly  breathe ; I looked  over  my  doctor- 
books,  and  finding  what  I thought  she  needed  went 
home  with  her  and  administered  a hot  foot-bath  (I 
always  prescribe  baths,  if  nothing  more),  and  put  a 
hot  poultice,  made  of  unbaked  tortillas,  on  her  chest. 
I then  spread  out  her  palm-leaf  mats  on  the  floor,  and 
put  her  to  bed  under  a sheet  and  pair  of  blankets 
which  I had  brought  with  me,  after  giving  her  a little 
medicine  and  leaving  her  more.  The  woman  living 
in  the  same  house  prayed  for  her  recovery.  From  the 
explicit  description  you  can  imagine  what  we  are  do- 
ing in  this  line.  I long  in  some  of  these  visits  to  be 
able  to  say  : ‘Jesus  Christ  hath  healed  thee;  take  up 

thy  bed  and  walk.’  ” 

Manuel  Aguas,  a hero  and  martyr,  who  himself 
gave  medical  advice  to  the  poor  of  the  City  of  Mexico, 
wrote  thus  six  months  before  his  death — a letter  which 
still  applies  to  us  : “ I must  say  that  all  you  who  com- 
229 


Opportunities 


pose  the  true  Church  of  Christ  in  that  country  neigh- 
boring to  ours,  are  partly  to  blame  for  our  misfortunes. 
I know  that  you  are  true  Christians ; I know  that  you 
have  imparted  to  Spain  your  generous  protection  ; I 
know  that  you  send  your  missionaries  to  remote  parts 
of  the  world,  such  as  Syria,  where  you  generously  and 
disinterestedly  aid  the  gospel  work.  Why,  then,  have 
you  for  so  many  years  forgotten  your  brethren  who, 
by  your  very  side,  have  been  without  the  bread  of 
the  divine  word  ? Why  do  you  allow  them  to  perish 
and  sink,  day  by  day,  into  deeper  ignorance  and 
fanaticism  ? It  is  well  and  good  that  you  should  ex- 
ercise your  charity  with  those  people  to  whom  you 
send  the  light  of  the  gospel,  however  distant  they  may 
be ; but  this  is  no  reason  why  you  should  leave  the 
Mexicans  by  your  very  side  in  the  darkness  of  idola- 
try. I am  sure  that  you  and  your  friends  will  agree 
with  me  that  it  is  necessary  to  do  what  is  possible  in 
order  that  the  true  religion  may  be  extended  through- 
out this,  my  native  land.  If  you  think  on  this  subject 
with  earnest  prayer  to  God,  your  consciences  will  call 
upon  you  to  fulfill  this  duty  as  Christians.  God  has 
not  in  vain  bestowed  on  your  wealthy  church  riches, 
nor  in  vain  has  he  endowed  you  with  generous 
hearts.” 

South  America  has  almost  no  work  of  the  kind. 
The  Missionary  Pence  Association  has  medical  work 
up  the  Tocantins  River,  Brazil.  The  South  American 
Missionary  Society  (Allen  Gardiner  Mission)  has  a 
medical  mission  at  Bocas  del  Torro,  Central  America, 
a dispensary  at  Chaco,  Paraguay,  a cottage  hospital 
230 


Where  Little  is  Done 


and  dispensary  at  Cholchol,  Chile,  a hospital  and  dis- 
pensary at  Pernambuco,  Brazil ; the  Moravian  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  Germany  has  a hospital  and  dis- 
pensary at  Paramaribo,  Surinam ; and  the  Presbyterian 
Board  has  a dispensary  at  Sao  Paulo,  Brazil,  under 
Dr.  H.  M.  Lane.  The  South  American  Evangelical 
Society  has  medical  work  in  Uruguay.  Rev.  Mr. 
Norwood  of  the  American  Bible  Society  has  taken 
with  him  to  Buccarramango,  Colombia,  a doctor,  and 
already  the  benefits  are  great.  “ The  native  doctors 
are  worthless,”  says  a missionary  who  suffered  at 
Barranquilla.  “A  medical  missionary  would  have 
wonderful  opportunities,  if  only  to  take  care  of  the 
other  missionaries.”  At  Barranquilla,  Colombia,  in 
1896,  about  two  thousand  died  from  measles  “ chiefly 
from  neglect.”  In  “Medical  Missions  at  Home  and 
Abroad,”  speaking  of  the  needs,  a business  man  is 
mentioned  who  was  asked  how  he  liked  Barranquilla. 
He  replied  : “ Like  it  ! could  anyone  like  to  live  in 

hell  ? Nothing  but  the  hope  of  making  money  could 
keep  me  here  a day.” 

In  Colombia,  among  the  Orinoco  Indians  (for 
whom  no  work  medical  or  evangelistic  has  yet  begun) 
a sick  boy  is  laid  on  the  bed  in  his  mother’s  hut. 
Over  his  bed  is  a rope  ever  in  sight,  to  be  used  for 
strangling  him  should  death  seem  near.  The  witch- 
doctor called  in,  sits  a day  and  a night  at  the  boy’s 
side,  singing  a weird  song  and  rattling  sacred  dust 
and  pebbles  in  a gourd  to  charm  away  evil  spirits. 
On  leaving  he  says  to  the  mother  : “ Your  boy  is  suf- 
fering from  the  sins  of  his  father  and  of  his  ancestors  ; 

23r 


Opportunities 


if  the  sin  is  great  I cannot  heal  him  ; we  shall  see  this 
evening.”  If,  on  his  return  he  says  the  sin  is  too 
great,  the  mother  herself  must  strangle  him.  Only  so 
will  his  spirit  have  happiness  beyond.  If  she  hesi- 
tates or  shrinks  and  lets  him  die  in  peace,  in  the  land 
of  death  he  would  ever  have  great  tortures. 

In  Chile,  one  of  our  missionaries  found  a country 
family  adoring  the  photograph  of  an  English  physi- 
cian of  Valparaiso  as  their  patron  saint.  He  found 
that  this  man  had  years  ago  successfully  treated  their 
grandmother,  without  pay.  When  several  months 
after  her  recovery  she  and  her  husband  took  him  a 
present  of  chickens  and  turkeys,  this  photograph  was 
given  her.  Candles  were  being  burned  and  prayers 
said  to  him. 

Titus  Coan  described,  in  his  “Adventures  in  Pata- 
gonia,” a sick  man  being  treated  by  an  Indian  doctor. 
“ He  was  sitting  on  his  patient,  moaning,  wailing, 
sucking  his  thumbs,  striking  his  breast,  blowing 
through  his  fists,  sucking  the  face  and  eyebrows  of  his 
patient,  blowing  upon  him,  and  rattling  over  his  head 
two  bags  of  dry  skins,  in  the  form  of  junk-bottles  in 
which  were  a large  quantity  of  pebbles.”  This  was 
kept  up  a long  time,  and  Mr.  Coan  concluded  that  the 
savage  believed  in  the  possession  of  evil  spirits  and 
that  these  wild  and  superstitious  measures  are  practiced 
to  exorcise  them. 

Dr.  Wanless  in  his  valuable  little  book  “ The 
Medical  Mission  ” says  : “ From  a purely  missionary 

standpoint  South  America  is  one  of  the  very  needy 
fields  of  the  world.  This  immense  continent  right  at 
232 


Where  Little  is  Done 


our  very  door  with  38,000,000  of  people  within  an 
area  of  7,000,000  square  miles — nearly  twice  the  size 
of  Europe — has  within  its  priest-ridden  borders  mil- 
lions of  souls  as  destitute  of  saving  Christianity  as  the 
darkest  pagans  of  Africa. 

“ South  America,  divided  into  fourteen  countries, 
includes  people  of  nearly  every  race  and  language,  in- 
cluding the  degraded  Fuegians  of  Cape  Elorn,  who 
when  discovered  had  drifted  so  far  from  old  traditions 
that  they  retained  no  word  for  God.  The  Spanish 
and  Portuguese  element  is  politically  dominant  while 
the  red  men  constitute  the  main  stock  of  the  popula- 
tion. Her  cities  are  among  the  gayest  and  grossest  in 
the  world.  South  America  groans  under  the  tyranny 
of  a priesthood  which  in  its  highest  forms  is  unillu- 
mined by  the  gospel,  and  in  its  lowest  is  proverbially 
and  habitually  drunken,  extortionate  and  ignorant. 

“ In  a land  where  Roman  Catholicism  is  so  terribly 
intolerant  of  other  faiths  and  so  tyrannical,  especially 
with  regard  to  Protestantism,  the  task  of  disarming 
prejudice  and  of  securing  desirable  approach  is  obvi- 
ously a most  difficult  one.  Hence  the  medical  mission 
is  of  peculiar  value  among  such  people. 

“ In  most  of  the  South  American  republics  there 
are  native  practitioners,  who,  though  comparatively 
large  as  regards  numbers,  are  poor  as  regards  effi- 
ciency. In  some  of  the  republics,  medical  laws  re- 
quire an  indigenous  degree  or  the  passing  of  state 
examinations  in  order  to  practice.  (In  Brazil  full 
medical  examinations  in  Portuguese  must  be  passed.) 
In  other  parts  of  the  land  practically  no  restrictions 
233 


Opportunities 


to  physicians  with  a North  American  degree  exist. 
Chiefly  among  the  aboriginal  tribes  in  remote  districts 
are  medical  missions  most  needed  and  desirable,  but 
even  in  the  great  cities  they  would  certainly  become  a 
potent  influence  for  good.  In  South  America,  per- 
haps more  than  in  any  other  field,  the  possibility  of 
self-supporting  medical  missions  obtains.  Here  is  a 
country  exhibiting  fields  and  opportunities  for  Chris- 
tian medical  work  and  possessing  a variation  of 
scenery  and  climate  that  leaves  few  without  excuse, 
who,  on  the  ground  of  temperament,  constitution  or 
circumstances  may  be  providentially  hindered  from 
undertaking  work  in  a more  remote  and  trying  climate. 

“South  America  is  indeed  the  ‘Neglected  Con- 
tinent.’ She  is  morally  soaked  in  sin  ; she  is  physic- 
ally rotting  with  disease.  While  her  ignorant  millions 
are  either  surfeited  with  superstition  or  held  in  the  ab- 
ject thraldom  of  death-dealing  depravity,  with  suffer- 
ing enough  in  this  life  and  practically  no  hope  for  the 
life  to  come,  with  notorious  overcrowding  of  physi- 
cians in  the  Northern  Continent  and  in  view  of  the  needs 
and  obligations  of  the  Southern,  might  not  the  former 
spare  a regiment  or  two  of  her  Christian  physicians 
for  this  field  of  spiritual  desolation  and  physical  cor- 
ruption ? Thus  we  might  happily  interpret  the  ‘ Mon- 
roe Doctrine  ’ and  obey  the  higher  doctrine  of  loving 
our  neighbor  as  ourselves.” 

Rev.  T.  S.  Pond  of  Caracas,  Venezuela,  says  the 
crying  need  is  for  a great  evangelical  crusade  from  the 
North,  which  requires  besides  teachers,  preachers  and 
an  able  press  for  all  of  South  America,  “ Hospitals , 

234 


Where  Little  is  Done 


at  first  on  a moderate  scale,  employing  native  physi- 
cians so  far  as  possible,  but  trained  fiurses  from  the 
North  capable  of  training  their  own  assistants.” 

The  frontispiece  shows  a Pilgrimage  to  the  Wonder- 
working Virgin  of  Andacollo,  Chile.  Every  year  at 
Christmas  as  many  as  50,000  persons  have  been 
known  to  crowd  into  the  small  village  of  Andacollo, 
to  visit  the  only  building  of  importance,  which  in 
size,  beauty,  and  grandeur  ranks  with  the  most  cele- 
brated Roman  Catholic  temples  in  the  world.  From 
many  countries  they  crowd  in  to  worship  the  gor- 
geously decked  Virgin.  They  say  men  and  women 
have  been  healed  of  long-standing  diseases  by  her. 
The  priests’  gains  are  never  less  than  $20,000.  Rev. 
W.  E.  Browning,  Ph.  D.,  of  Santiago,  Chile,  gives 
the  above  facts. 

A wonderfully  interesting  medical  mission  is  that 
to  the  Deep  Sea  Fishermen.  Dr.  Wilfred  Grenfell  is 
the  brave  English  doctor  who  has  charge  of  five  hos- 
pital ships  among  fishermen,  sometimes  off  Heligoland, 
then  off  Germany,  up  as  far  as  Holland,  and  again 
off  Denmark,  also  visiting  Labrador.  In  four  vessels 
hospitals  have  been  built,  swing  cots  erected  for  frac- 
ture cases,  medicine  and  sets  of  instruments  and  splints 
obtained.  A specially  devised  stretcher  was  placed 
on  each  ship  to  facilitate  the  removal  of  the  injured  to 
the  hospital  ships.  Christian  doctors  are  regularly  ap- 
pointed for  each.  “ Heal  the  sick  ” in  letters  of  gold 
was  put  on  the  port  bow,  and  “ Preach  the  Word  ” 
on  the  starboard.  All  the  mission  skippers  and  mates, 
and  many  others  as  well,  are  trained  in  ambulance 
235 


Opportunities 


work,  and  now  one  and  all  are  capable  of  rendering 
first  aid  to  the  wounded,  by  which  many  limbs,  lives, 
and  much  suffering  have  been  saved  on  the  vessels 
where  there  is  no  doctor. 

Two  hospitals  on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  two  hun- 
dred miles  apart,  under  the  Moravians,  each  with  a 
medical  missionary  and  a matron,  are  doing  work  in 
this  same  connection,  a small  steamer  serving  each 
hospital,  and  bringing  the  sick  to  and  fro. 

In  Alaska  there  is  some  medical  mission  work.  At 
Sitka  is  a hospital  with  twenty  beds,  under  the  Home 
Board  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Only  a nurse  is 
in  charge  now.  At  the  Point  Barrow  Mission,  now 
transferred  to  Cape  Smyth,  fifty  miles  away,  Rev.  H. 
R.  Marsh,  M.  D.,  is  doing  medical  work.  He  has 
not  a hospital,  but  can  accommodate  twelve  beds. 
In  the  native  homes,  a patient  ill  with  lung  fever  or 
pneumonia  has  no  chance  of  recovery. 

“ The  Episcopal  hospital  at  Skagway  has  been  pro- 
vided with  an  operating  room,  a bathroom,  two 
rooms  for  private  patients,  the  main  room  plastered,” 
etc.  Such  details  make  us  realize  how  inadequately 
the  work  in  general  is  provided  for  when  they  are  so 
emphasized. 

Dr.  P.  J.  H.  Lerrigo,  of  St.  Lawrence  Island,  in 
the  United  States  Government  Report  on  “ Education 
and  Reindeer  in  Alaska,”  says  : “ The  Eskimos  are 

required  by  the  rigors  of  their  natural  surroundings  to 
make  perhaps  a more  determined  and  arduous  strug- 
gle for  existence  than  any  people  in  the  world.  Their 
horizon  is  limited,  their  possibilities  meager,  and  their 

* Dr.  Nellie  S.  Shulean  has  since  been  appointed  (Sept.,  1902). 

236 


THE  OPERATING  ROOM.  SITKA  MISSION  HOSPITAL.  HEAD  NURSE  AND  NATIVE  ASSISTANTS. 


Where  Little  is  Done 


food  supply  decidedly  precarious.  Gradually  they 
are  proving  inadequate  to  the  fight,  and  if  the  record 
of  the  past  two  years  is  to  be  repeated,  the  indications 
are  that  St.  Lawrence  Island  at  least  will  be  depopu- 
lated in  the  course  of  a generation. 

“The  filth  of  their  general  surroundings  is  well 
known,  no  arrangement  whatever  being  made  for  the 
disposal  of  the  bodily  excrement.  The  spaces  be- 
tween the  houses  are  a wilderness  of  corruption,  dis- 
carded skin  garments  of  the  filthiest  nature,  bones, 
rags,  the  decaying  carcasses  of  dogs,  and  other  masses 
of  animal  putrefaction,  the  odor  of  which  is  most  un- 
savory and  the  sight  enough  to  sicken  all  one’s  aesthetic 
sensibilities. 

“Inside  the  houses  the  accumulated  expectoration  of 
germ-laden  sputum  has  rendered  the  upper  soil  most 
unhealthful,  and  the  germs  and  grease  cleaving  to  the 
walls  and  supports  form  a happy  hunting  ground  for 
any  sportive  bacterium  which  may  feel  inclined  to 
propagate  his  species  in  undisturbed  felicity. 

“ In  the  living  rooms,  which  are  curtained  from  the 
main  dwelling  by  heavy  reindeer  hides,  the  condi- 
tions are  even  more  favorable  to  the  growth  of  micro- 
scopic fauna.  The  rooms  are  small,  the  dimensions 
being,  in  width,  about  eight  feet,  in  height,  five  feet, 
and  varying  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  in  length.  Near 
the  top  of  the  anterior  curtain  a small  hole  about  four 
inches  in  diameter  is  cut,  which  is  alleged  by  the 
native  sanitarian  to  be  for  the  purpose  of  ventilation. 
Needless  to  say,  it  is  entirely  inadequate,  and  the 
seal-oil  lamps  by  which  the  apartment  is  lighted  and 
237 


Opportunities 


heated  keep  the  temperature  at  an  almost  insufferable 
heat,  while  the  air  becomes  heavy  with  the  carbon 
dioxide,  organic  matter,  and  moisture  thrown  off  from 
the  lungs  of  the  occupants.  When  the  front  curtain 
is  raised  clouds  of  steam  issue  forth  as  from  a Turkish 
bath,  and  to  enter  the  room  from  the  cold  of  the  outer 
house  at  times  gives  one  the  sense  of  suffocation. 
Their  beds  are  reindeer  hides,  upon  which  the  sputum 
of  a sick  person  will  often  fall  and  dry.  With  the 
exception  of  a loin  cloth,  they  wear  no  clothes  in  the 
living  room,  which  is,  perhaps,  the  reason  of  the 
high  temperature  maintained. 

“In  ordinary  health  habit  makes  these  conditions  by 
no  means  insupportable,  and  if  the  Messingaman 
could  always  remain  in  good  health  his  house  would, 
perhaps,  be  a model  of  comfort  and  convenience 
(from  a Messinga  standpoint),  but  when  he  becomes 
sick,  particularly  of  diseases  involving  the  respiratory 
tract,  and  experiences  difficulty  in  breathing,  he  im- 
mediately thrusts  his  head  from  under  the  reindeer 
curtain  to  obtain  the  relatively  fresh  air  of  the  outer 
room ; consequently  his  head,  neck,  and  shoulders, 
frequently  his  whole  chest  and  even  abdomen,  are 
bared  to  the  playful  touches  of  the  spring  zephyrs 
which  blow  through  the  doorway,  the  hole  in  the  roof, 
and  cracks  in  the  walls,  causing  a thousand  drafts 
and  counterdrafts.  If  he  happens  to  have  a high 
fever,  this  is  particularly  agreeable  to  him,  and  he 
allows  the  cooling,  sometimes  icy,  breeze  to  blew 
over  him.  What  wonder  that  his  friends  and  rela- 
tives have  the  melancholy  duty  of  bearing  him  to  the 


Where  Little  is  Done 


mountainside  and  laying  him  to  rest  with  the  bones 
of  his  fathers  ! These  are  the  conditions  that  make 
pneumonia  an  almost  certainly  fatal  disease  among 
this  people. 

“The  skin  diseases  are  of  many  kinds,  but  chiefly 
appear  in  the  form  of  superficial  spreading  erosions 
about  the  folds  of  the  skin  and  the  extremities ; also 
papular  and  pustular  eczemas.  It  has  been  claimed 
by  many  that  these  difficulties  are  entirely  of  venereal 
origin,  but  I am  of  the  opinion  that  unhygienic  living 
is  a larger  factor  in  their  etiology. 

“Their  garments  are  never  cleansed,  and  are  hardly 
susceptible  of  cleansing,  being  composed  of  rein- 
deer hides  and  the  skins  of  birds ; consequently  the 
excretions  of  the  skin  are  not  absorbed,  and  the  glands 
become  obstructed.  Associated  with  this  is  the 
fact  that  they  do  not  consider  it  necessary  to  bathe 
the  body,  and  only  on  rare  occasions  do  the  face  and 
hands  receive  any  such  attentions. 

“Their  food,  particularly  during  the  winter  months, 
is  very  largely  of  a nitrogenous  nature,  and  the  excess 
of  waste  products  resulting  therefrom  overtaxes  the 
excretory  functions  of  the  skin.  My  observation  has 
been  that  when  the  whaling  vessels  arrived  and  com- 
menced trading  flour  and  other  carbohydrate  foods 
the  demand  for  skin  medicines  moderated  very 
largely,  although  it  had  continued  unabated  through- 
out the  winter.  This  would  seem  to  indicate  the  dietic 
origin  of  the  diseases.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind, 
however,  that  these  remarks  are  only  of  a tentative 
nature,  being  based  upon  the  limited  observation  pos- 
239 


Opportunities 


sible  during  one  year.  The  subject  requires  much 
further  investigation  and  experiment  before  definite 
conclusions  can  be  arrived  at.  Of  course  syphilis 
does  enter  to  some  extent  into  the  causation  of  the 
skin  diseases,  many  of  the  worst  cases  being  entirely 
traceable  thereto,  but  the.  contention  is  that  it  is  not  a 
constant  factor. 

“The  skin  affections  will  undoubtedly  continue  in 
the  present  ratio — that  is,  affecting  about  ioo  per  cent 
of  the  community — until  the  people  can  be  induced  to 
adopt  habits  of  comparative  cleanliness,  and  be  fur- 
nished with  washable  under -garments  and  sufficient 
food  of  a vegetable  nature,  as  flour,  beans,  oatmeal, 
etc.  It  is  not  proposed  that  these  things  be  supplied 
to  them  gratis,  as  the  spoils  of  their  hunting  and  the 
product  of  their  handicraft  furnish  them  with  ample 
means  to  provide  these  necessities.  The  only  thing 
required  is  the  opportunity  of  disposing  of  their  goods 
at  a reasonable  basis  of  trade. 

“ Respiratory  diseases,  apart  from  those  accompany- 
ing the  epidemics,  are  also  exceedingly  common.  The 
usual  coughs  and  colds  are  as  common  as  among 
white  people,  or  more  so.  There  are  occasional  cases 
of  pleurisy  and  severe  bronchitis,  while  tuberculosis 
follows  many  of  the  less  dangerous  maladies.  The 
former  do  not,  as  a rule,  prove  serious,  except  in  the 
way  of  preparing  the  soil  for  more  fatal  disorders.  Of 
the  latter  no  one  has  died  during  the  year,  but  there 
are  several  cases  which  must  succumb  sooner  or  later. 

^ 

“ Under  the  existing  conditions,  however,  dispensing 
240 


Where  Little  is  Done 


medicines  to  such  cases  is  a mere  travesty  upon  med- 
ical practice.  No  persuasion  will  induce  them  to  pro- 
tect their  chests  and  heads.  So  long  as  strength  re- 
mains they  will  get  up  and  move  about  the  house,  and 
often  sit  outside  upon  the  ground  for  hours.  On  one 
occasion  I found  the  chief,  Assoona,  who  was  suffer- 
ing from  pneumonia,  sitting  down  about  half-way  to 
the  beach  with  his  two  little  boys  beside  him,  his 
strength  having  utterly  given  out.  In  some  cases  they 
refuse  the  medicine  because  it  does  not  immediately 
make  them  strong  and  well. 

“ The  wonder  is,  not  that  so  many  die,  but  that  some 
live.  During  the  epidemic  so  far  twenty-four  persons 
have  died  of  pneumonia,  being  considerably  over  fifty 
per  cent  of  the  total  number  of  cases,  but  had  they 
been  white  persons  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  like  con- 
ditions would  have  resulted  in  a mortality  of  one 
hundred  per  cent. 

“The  chief  difficulty  encountered  here  in  the  man- 
agement of  pneumonia  is,  obviously,  the  construction 
of  their  houses,  which  requires  them  to  suffer  great 
exposure  in  satisfying  the  craving  for  air,  which  the 
accompanying  dyspnoea  entails.  In  addition  to  this 
are  lack  of  proper  diet  and  attention  to  personal 
hygiene.  Often  the  patient  can  get  no  more  suitable 
food  than  raw  walrus  or  seal  meat,  or,  at  the  best, 
hard  pilot  bread  soaked  in  warm  water,  or,  by  unusual 
good  fortune,  coffee,  which  is  not  a substance  to  be- 
guile the  waning  appetite  of  a sick  person,  or  to  sup- 
port his  flagging  energies.  Of  course  he  lapses  into  a 
worse  condition  of  un'cleanliness  than  usual,  for  his 
241 


Opportunities 


suffering  renders  him  by  no  means  anxious  to  try  such 
unwonted  exercise  as  bathing,  even  if  he  be  not  phys- 
ically incapacitated. 

“ While  his  friends  at  times  feel  considerable  concern 
for  his  safety,  their  sympathy  does  not  lead  them  to 
such  extreme  lengths  as  assisting  him  in  the  matter. 
While  they  make  some  effort  at  disposing  of  the  ex- 
cretions, they  do  not  understand  the  necessity  of  great 
care  in  this  regard,  and  are  particularly  careless  as  to 
the  expectorated  matter. 

“It  is  hopeless  to  think  of  remedying  these  evils 
while  the  patients  are  left  in  their  present  houses. 
The  only  remedy  which  suggests  itself  is  the  building 
of  a hospital  to  which  severe  cases  might  be  transferred 
and  given  the  benefit  of  proper  treatment  under  med- 
ical attention  and  the  care  of  a trained  nurse.  It 
seems  hardly  probable  that  the  limitations  of  the  De- 
partment’s appropriations  could  include  such  a 
scheme,  but  to  a philanthropically  inclined  person 
seeking  a channel  for  the  disposal  of  ready  money 
where  it  would  be  sure  of  producing  great  good,  the 
opportunity  is  one  pregnant  with  possibility. 

“Another  fact  having  a most  emphatic  bearing  upon 
the  subject  is  the  number  of  vessels  plying  in  these 
waters  which  do  not  carry  a physician,  and  have  little 
or  no  facility  for  the  treatment  and  care  of  persons 
who  may  be  injured  or  taken  ill  during  the  voyage. 
To  take  a case  in  point : On  June  30th,  the  Progress, 
of  Vladivostock,  Captain  Gunderson,  dropped  anchor 
off  the  north  shore,  with  flag  at  half  mast,  and  sent  a 
boat  ashore  asking  me  to  come  off.  Upon  the  vessel 
242 


MARSH,  POINT  BARROW. 


Where  Little  is  Done 


I found  a Chinaman  who  had  been  accidentally 
wounded  by  a loaded  rifle  which  had  been  hanging 
upon  the  side  of  the  companionway.  The  wound 
was  a very  severe  one,  with  extensive  laceration,  and 
no  one  on  board  understood  the  proper  treatment. 
The  accident  had  occurred  the  previous  day  and  the 
powder  and  dirt  blown  into  the  wound  resulted  in 
septic  infection.  He  was  brought  ashore  for  treat- 
ment, the  Progress  proposing  to  return  for  him  later. 
The  mission  premises  are  small,  and  being  occupied 
by  three  persons,  it  was  necessary  to  arrange  quarters 
in  the  schoolroom  for  the  injured  man.  I need  not 
enlarge  upon  the  requirements  for  the  treatment  of 
extensive  septic  wounds  with  general  systemic  in- 
fection, but  certainly  the  means  at  hand  were  by  no 
means  of  the  best,  or  the  most  conducive  to  a quick 
recovery.  The  impossibility  of  thoroughly  sterilizing 
the  dressings,  the  lack  of  proper  instruments  for  opera- 
ting the  wound,  and  solutions  for  cleansing,  rendered 
the  treatment  far  more  difficult  and  protracted  than 
should  have  been  the  case. 

“I  have  been  informed  by  Captain  Tilton,  of  the 
steam  whaler,  Alexcmder,  that  upon  two  vessels  of  the 
whaling  fleet  deaths  have  occurred  this  spring,  pre- 
sumably from  the  epidemic  difficulty  which  has  so 
devastated  the  native  communities  in  this  region.  It 
is  quite  possible  that  a hospital  at  this  point  might 
have  prevented  such  sad  casualties.  The  construction 
and  maintenance  of  such  a hospital  need  not  neces- 
sarily involve  a large  outlay  of  money.  An  initial 
expense  of  $5,000  would  probably  provide  a frame 

243 


Opportunities 


building  with  accommodations  for  twenty  patients, 
and  the  appurtenances  attaching  to  hospital  work ; 
after  which  an  outlay  of  about  $5,000  per  annum 
would  be  sufficient  to  maintain  the  establishment. 

“In  addition  to  the  medical  work,  there  is  a con- 
siderable amount  of  minor  surgery  to  receive  atten- 
tion ; ulcers,  boils,  carbuncles,  and  more  01  less  in- 
cised and  lacerated  wounds  are  the  common  surgical 
complaints,  the  drawing  of  teeth  being  a constant  re- 
quirement. Wounds  frequently  occur  while  hunting, 
sometimes  of  quite  a serious  nature.” 

Medical  mission  work  has  been  begun  on  Porto 
Rico.  At  San  Juan,  Grace  Williams  Atkins,  M.  D., 
is  at  work,  Jane  H.  Harris,  M.  D.,  joining  her  in 
September,  1902.  The  needs  are  so  great,  the  igno- 
rance is  so  great,  that  a plea  has  been  sent  forth  for  a 
hospital.  Plans  have  been  made  for  one  at  a cost 
of  $8,000.  Compared  with  the  cost  of  those  in  the 
United  States,  this  seemed  too  small  an  estimate,  but 
no  heating  is  required,  few  blankets,  no  mattresses, 
only  canvas  cots.  Should  there  be  any  delay  in  filling 
such  needs  ? 

Japan,  where  Dr.  Hepburn  (the  first  medical  mis- 
sionary of  the  Presbyterian  Church)  was  the  first  to 
settle,  is  said  by  some  to  need  no  medical  missionaries. 
Dr.  Dennis  says  in  “ Christian  Missions  and  Social 
Progress”:  “The  social  disorganization  attendant 

upon  the  transition  from  an  old  to  a new  order  may 
be  largely  responsible  for  the  failure  to  care  properly 
for  those  in  distress.  There  is  at  the  present  time 
great  need  of  charitable  organizations  in  Japan.  The 
244 


THE  TRUE  MEMORIAL  SANITARIUM,  TOKYO. 


Where  Little  is  Done 


poor  are  sadly  neglected,  as  well  as  the  many  lepers, 
and  although  hospitals  and  charitable  institutions  are 
being  established,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  Japanese 
will  soon  institute  more  systematic  and  adequate  pro- 
vision for  their  dependent  classes.”  He  quotes  from 
Rev.  D.  S.  Spencer  of  the  Methodist  Board  South  : 
“ Hospitals  for  the  sick,  dumb,  deaf,  etc.,  are  all  new 
in  Japan.  If  the  Japanese  fail  in  caring  for  these 
classes  it  happens  rather  out  of  lack  of  system  and 
knowledge  of  how  to  aid  them  than  out  of  indifference 
to  their  wants.” 

In  the  rural  districts  and  to  some  extent  among  the 
masses  in  the  cities,  old  barbarous  customs  similar  to 
those  in  China  and  Korea  prevail.  Disease  is  often 
ascribed  to  evil  spirits,  especially  to  the  spirit  of  a fox 
or  a badger.  Japan  is  civilized  but  still  heathen. 
The  larger  proportion  of  its  educated  people  are 
heathen,  or  worse — agnostics,  infidels.  The  people 
want  all  our  civilization,  our  science,  medical  and 
surgical,  but  no  Bible,  no  God,  no  Saviour.  Their 
own  medical  work  may  be  large  but  it  is  without 
Christ.  It  offers  no  hope  to  the  sick  and  suffering. 
It  has  none  to  offer. 

The  True  Memorial  Sanitarium  at  Tokyo,  was 
founded  by  Mrs.  M.  T.  True,  after  witnessing  the 
sufferings  of  a missionary  friend  who  died  without 
trained  attention.  Here  classes  of  nurses  have  been 
and  are  still  being  trained.  They  are  in  great  de- 
mand. The  sanitarium  was  designed  for  high  class 
Japanese  ladies,  who  would  not  go  to  the  general 
hospitals,  and  yet  required  especial  attention.  Mrs. 

245 


Opportunities 


Kei  Okami,  M.  D.,  has  charge,  and  the  whole  plant 
with  all  its  beautiful  grounds  and  buildings  has 
recently  been  presented  to  the  Presbyterian  Board. 
Many  missionaries  have  been  thankful  for  its  comforts. 

Some  of  these  Christian  nurses  trained  by  Mrs. 
True  (the  dearly  loved  missionary  who  was,  the  Jap- 
anese said,  “Just  like  ourselves”)  in  the  Tokyo 
Hospital  won  quick  recognition  by  the  doctors,  be- 
cause their  word  could  be  relied  on.  The  heathen 
nurses  cared  not  for  truth.  One  nobleman  brought 
there  terribly  burned,  found  in  the  peace  and  tender 
care  of  one  of  these  women  matter  for  unspeakable 
wonderment.  Why  was  she  so  uniformly  kind?  he 
wished  to  know.  It  was  Christ  in  her,  she  told  him ; 
and  the  poor,  debauched,  suffering  man  found  in 
Christ  rest  and  peace.  When  his  whole  family  were 
afterwards  baptized  with  him,  the  tears  streamed  down 
his  frightfully  scarred  face  as  he  confessed  before  men 
how  Christ  had  sent  him  to  the  hospital  to  find  him. 

Dr.  Wallace  Taylor  of  the  Congregational  Board 
says:  “After  my  work  had  become  well-known,  in 

no  other  way  could  I reach  so  many  persons  and  exert 
so  wide  an  evangelical  influence  as  through  medical 
work.  Take  my  report  for  1892,  when  I individually 
treated  and  exerted  an  influence  on  nearly  2,500 
persons,  many  of  them  from  distant  and  widely  scat- 
tered places  in  the  south  and  west  of  the  empire ; I 
had  nearly  13,000  consultations — saw  professionally 
over  800  persons  in  their  homes  and  made  over  2,500 
visits  to  the  homes  of  patients,  carrying  our  Christian 
influence  with  us,  as  a Christian  man  must, — and  this 
246 


Where  Little  is  Done 


it  will  be  seen,  gives  an  opportunity  of  influence  under 
peculiarly  favorable  circumstances  that  few  clerical 
missionaries  in  this  country  enjoy,  though  they  do  a 
large  amount  of  touring. 

“It  is  true  it  is  largely  a work  of  seed-sowing  and 
others  gather  the  harvest ; but  it  is  not  void  of  its  le- 
gitimate fruits,  instances  of  which  frequently  come  to 
my  knowledge.  Several  men  who  do  considerable 
touring  have  frequently  remarked  to  me  that  they  find 
persons  almost  wherever  they  go  who  have  been  to  my 
clinic  and  that  many  of  them  know  quite  a little  in  re- 
gard to  the  Christian  doctrine,  having  heard  it  while 
attending  the  dispensary  or  hospital. 

“I  believe  in  keeping  everything  in  native  style  so 
far  as  I can,  and  hence  we  are  in  close  contact  with 
the  people,  and  more  in  harmony  with  Japanese  life, 
and  our  own  services  are  largely  within  their  means.” 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  has  a self-support- 
ing hospital  at  Osaka.  The  Mission  Hospital  at 
Tokyo  is  in  charge  of  four  Japanese  physicians  who 
give  their  services. 

The  Alumni  Register  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania gives  the  history  of  the  first  medical  missionary 
to  Japan,  James  Curtis  Hepburn  : — 

“One  of  Pennsylvania’s  oldest  living  sons  is  Dr. 
James  Curtis  Hepburn,  who  received  his  medical  de- 
gree in  1836.  He  has  devoted  his  life  to  foreign  mis- 
sionary work.  At  the  present  time  Dr.  Hepburn  and 
his  wife  live  in  East  Orange,  N.  J.  Dr.  Hepburn  was 
born  at  Milton,  Pa.,  March  13,  1815.  His  father  was 
Samuel  Hepburn,  lawyer,  who  graduated  from  Prince- 
247  - 


Opportunities 


ton  College  in  1803.  Mr.  Hepburn  resided  most  of 
his  life  in  Milton.  He  died  in  Lock  Haven,  Pa.,  in 
1865.  Dr.  Hepburn’s  mother  was  Ann  Clay,  daugh- 
ter of  Rev.  Slator  Clay,  pastor  of  Swede  churches  in 
Norristown  and  Perkiomen.  Dr.  Hepburn  was  grad- 
uated from  Princeton  College  in  1832,  and  imme- 
diately entered  Pennsylvania  Medical  School.  After 
graduation  he  practiced  in  Norristown,  Pa.  Here  he 
met  Miss  Clara  M.  Leete,  to  whom  he  was  married 
on  October  27,  1840,  at  Fayettesville,  N.  C. 

“Dr.  Hepburn  had  always  cherished  the  idea  of 
devoting  his  life  to  foreign  missionary  work,  and  so, 
under  the  guidance  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions,  he  and  his  wife  set  sail  for  China,  late 
in  1840,  by  way  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  The 
sea  voyage  lasted  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  days. 
Arriving  at  Singapore,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hepburn  were 
soon  actively  engaged  in  hospital  work  among  the  na- 
tives. The  Opium  War  having  been  lately  concluded 
between  England  and  China,  the  missionaries  went  to 
Amoy,  China,  and  remained  there  until  1846;  at  that 
time  Dr.  Hepburn  broke  down  in  health  and  was 
forced  to  return  to  America.  He  settled  down  in  New 
York  City,  and  there  established  a lucrative  practice. 
It  may  be  of  interest  to  state  here  that  Dr.  Hepburn 
was  well  acquainted  with  the  late  Dr.  Divie  Betlmne 
McCartee,  ’40  M.,  University  of  Pennsylvania,  from 
the  time  of  Dr.  McCartee’s  arrival  in  China.  Dr. 
McCartee  is  well-known  to  Pennsylvanians  as  a teacher, 
physician  and  missionary  in  China  and  as  an  oriental 
linguist  of  distinction. 


248 


J.  C.  HEPBURN,  M.  D.,  THE  FIRST  MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD. 
FROM  “ALUMNI  REGISTER,”  U.  OF  PA. 


Where  Little  is  Done 


“ Dr.  Hepburn  and  his  wife  were  not  content  to  re- 
main in  America,  for  they  felt  that  their  services  were 
needed  in  the  East.  Accordingly  they  again  set  sail 
for  China,  April,  1859,  by  way  of  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  and  arrived  at  Shanghai  late  that  same  year. 
Dr.  Hepburn  was  there  taken  suddenly  ill,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  move  him  to  Yokohama,  Japan.  When 
he  and  his  wife  arrived  there  neither  knew  much  of 
the  language,  and  they  were  received  with  suspicion. 
Mrs.  Hepburn  was  the  first  American  woman  mission- 
ary to  enter  Japan,  and  her  appearance  caused  much 
astonishment  and  curiosity. 

“ For  a long  time  the  foreigners  were  under  sur- 
veillance of  the  Japanese,  and  their  lives  were  con- 
stantly in  danger.  An  assassin  was  hired  to  kill  Dr. 
Hepburn,  and  lay  in  wait  for  him,  but  when  the  na- 
tives realized  that  the  doctor  and  his  wife  were  intent 
on  doing  good  and  not  to  be  discouraged,  hostilities 
ceased,  and  a friendship  began.  A surgical  operation, 
performed  by  the  doctor  on  a native,  had  much  to  do 
with  the  change  of  basis.  A man  had  his  arm  badly 
shattered,  and  Dr.  Hepburn  was  ordered  by  the  local 
authorities  to  treat  the  case.  His  success  brought 
him  fame  and  hard  work,  for  the  lame  and  sick  came 
for  miles  to  see  the  foreign  doctor  who  could  cure  as 
if  by  magic. 

“ In  connection  with  his  arduous  duties  in  medical 
and  religious  fields,  Dr.  Hepburn  yet  had  time  to  col- 
laborate in  the  compilation  of  a Japanese  dictionary. 
The  dictionary  was  copyrighted  by  the  Japanese  Gov- 
ernment, and  passed  into  many  editions.  For  six 
249 


Opportunities 


years  he  worked  upon  a translation  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment from  Original  Greek  into  the  Japanese  language 
in  combination  with  three  other  students.  When  this 
great  task  had  been  completed,  in  cooperation  with 
three  other  foreign  missionaries  Dr.  Hepburn  trans- 
lated the  Old  Testament  from  Hebrew  into  Japanese. 
His  distinguished  services  were  recognized  by  Lafay- 
ette College  in  1869  by  its  bestowal  of  the  degree  of 
LL.  D. 

“ In  1892,  after  thirty-three  years  of  active  and  val- 
uable work  in  missionary  fields,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hep- 
burn decided  to  return  permanently  to  America.  The 
farewell  testimonial  meeting  tendered  them  by  resident 
natives  and  resident  missionaries  was  an  impressive 
tribute  well  deserved. 

“Dr.  Hepburn  and  his  wife  saw  Christianity  get  its 
first  foothold  in  China  and  Japan,  and  helped  it  in  its 
growth,  and  now  can  look  on  thousands  of  natives 
worshiping  in  Christian  churches.  They  are  enthu- 
siastic over  mission  work,  and  believe  that  more  than 
ever  workers  are  needed,  and  that  Japan  is  on  the  eve 
of  a religious  revival  such  as  has  never  been  seen  in 
any  other  country.” 

The  Presbyterian  Church  has  withdrawn  from  the 
medical  work,  except  for  the  True  Sanitarium  ; the 
last  doctor  being  Dr.  D.  B.  McCartee  at  Tokyo, 
who  went  out  in  1843  and  after  working  latterly 
chiefly  on  the  Bible  died  in  San  Francisco  July  17th, 
1900.  Miss  West  visits  in  the  public  hospital.  She 
writes  : “ This  visiting  in  the  hospital  has  been  of  con- 
stantly increasing  interest.  Some  who  had  known 
250 


Where  Little  is  Done 


many  months  or  even  years  of  weary  suffering,  found 
peace  and  rest  in  Jesus  our  Saviour,  and  spent  their 
last  days  in  quiet  hope,  at  last  passing  away  without 
that  fear  of  death  which  is  so  strong  in  the  heart  that 
does  not  know  our  God.  One  of  the  oldest  women,  a 
woman  of  rare  tact,  deep  sympathy  and  devoted  spirit, 
has  gone  weekly,  as  a friend,  to  help  comfort  and 
cheer  the  sick,  and  has  followed  into  their  homes  many 
who  have  tasted  long  enough  to  long  for  more  of  the 
Bread  of  Life.” 

Of  another  native  worker,  Miss  Gardner  wrote  that 
she  told  the  attending  physicians  and  nurses  when  she 
was  ill  in  the  hospital,  of  Jesus,  sending  messages  and 
leaflets  to  the  patients  in  her  own  and  neighboring 
wards. 

In  the  Philippines  work  has  also  begun.  At  Iloilo, 
J.  Andrew  Hall,  M.  D.  is  stationed,  and  at  Duma- 
guete,  H.  W.  Langheim,  M.  D.,  both  under  the 
Presbyterian  Board.  The  Methodists  also  have  begun 
some  medical  work. 

Alice  Byram  Condict,  M.  D.,  says  that  the  Philip- 
pines equal  Japan  in  area,  but  their  population  is  only 
10,000,000,  to  40,000,000  in  Japan.  She  ascribes 
this  to  the  fact  that  four  out  of  five  children  die  before 
reaching  ten  years  of  age.  “When  sanitary  laws  are 
better  understood  by  the  natives,  and  they  have  be- 
come fully  Americanized,  the  native  increase  of  popu- 
lation may  be  expected.”  She  thinks  the  population 
would  then  be  like  that  of  China  or  Japan.  Ditches 
have  been  breeding  fever  and  dysentery.  The  moats 
of  Manila  “reek  with  slime  and  send  out  pestilential 
251 


Opportunities 


odors  (1899).  The  Spanish  authorities  say  that  the 
sewage  of  the  city  has  been  collecting  here  for  three 
hundred  years.” 

In  the  “Report  of  a Visitation  of  the  Philippine 
Mission,”  written  in  December,  1901,  Rev.  Arthur  J. 
Brown,  D.  D.,  Secretary  of  the  Presbyterian  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions,  says  that  “medical  work  is  as 
necessary  in  the  Philippines  as  in  other  lands,  except, 
of  course,  in  Manila.  There  the  number  of  phy- 
sicians in  private  practice  is  already  considerable,  and 
it  will  doubtless  increase.  There  are  several  large 
and  well-equipped  military  hospitals,  in  which  civilians 
are,  within  reasonable  limits,  received  as  private  pa- 
tients, an  excellent  woman’s  hospital  for  foreign 
women,  public  hospitals  for  lepers,  fallen  women, 
contagious  diseases,  etc.  Drug  stores  are  numerous, 
and  the  sanitation  of  the  city  is  admirably  looked 
after  by  an  efficient  Board  of  Health.  The  Govern- 
ment intends  to  see  that  necessary  facilities  are  pro- 
vided in  Manila.  There  is,  therefore,  no  special  field 
for  medical  missions  in  the  capital,  unless  private 
Christian  philanthropy  may  at  some  later  time,  and 
without  drawing  upon  missionary  resources,  choose  to 
establish  a Presbyterian  hospital  after  the  model  of 
similar  institutions  in  our  own  home  cities.  In  the 
provincial  towns,  however,  medical  work  is  as  need- 
ful as  in  many  other  mission  fields.  The  masses  of 
the  people  know  as  little  about  the  proper  treatment 
of  diseases  as  those  in  China,  and  they  suffer  as  much 
from  them.  True,  there  are  in  the  larger  towns  a few 
Spanish  or  Mestizo  physicians,  while  in  several  places 
252 


Where  Little  is  Done 


the  army  surgeons  have  been  exceedingly  kind  to  both 
foreigners  and  natives.  But  such  service  is  neces- 
sarily confined  to  a few  places,  is  purely  professional, 
does  not  reach  the  poor,  save  in  vaccination  during 
some  smallpox  scare,  and,  in  the  cases  of  the  Span- 
iards and  Mestizos  is,  as  a rule,  painfully  unsympa- 
thetic and  incompetent.  The  relief  thus  afforded  is 
far  less  than  in  India,  where  the  legitimacy  of  medical 
missions  is  unquestioned. 

“ Our  Board  early  recognized  this  need,  and  De- 
cember 18th,  1899,  it  authorized  ‘the  opening  of 
medical  work  in  the  Philippines  as  soon  as  the  best 
place  or  places  shall  be  found  therefor.’  Both  Iloilo 
and  Dumaguete  have  been  properly  designated  as 
such  places. 

“In  Dumaguete  nothing  has  yet  been  done,  as  Dr. 
Langheim,  the  newly  appointed  medical  missonary, 
had  not  arrived  when  I left.  But  there  is  a good  field 
awaiting  him.  There  is  no  physician  of  any  kind, 
native  or  foreign,  except  the  army  surgeon,  and  a 
small  drug  store  kept  by  a native  represents  the  only 
permanent  medical  aid.” 

In  the  Assembly  Herald  for  July,  1902,  is  a later 
word  about  the  medical  work  of  Dumaguete,  however. 
“The  medical  work  is  developing  almost  before  I am 
ready  to  take  hold  of  it.  I am  looking  for  a suitable 
location  for  a dispensary,  but  up  to  the  present  time, 
have  not  been  able  to  find  one. 

“The  provincial  and  municipal  authorities  (Fili- 
pinos) are  much  interested  in  my  work.  I have  been 
called  to  attend  the  wife  and  children  of  our  provincial 
253 


Opportunities 


governor,  and  have  been  looking  after  the  sick  persons 
at  the  provincial  jail,  was  also  called  upon  by  the 
provincial  Board  to  advise  in  cases  of  smallpox  in 
some  of  the  neighboring  towns. 

“ I have  to  report  that  I have  accepted  an  appoint- 
ment from  the  Philippine  Commission  to  the  office  of 
president  of  the  Board  of  Health  of  the  province  of 
Oriental  Negros.  This  position  was  first  offered  to  me 
by  the  provincial  governor,  and  later  by  a petition 
signed  by  every  provincial  and  municipal  authority, 
as  it  was  necessary  to  take  immediate  action  because 
of  the  efforts  of  other  physicians  to  secure  the  ap- 
pointment. I accepted  with  the  consent  of  the  other 
members  of  the  mission.  It  seemed  wise  to  accept  for 
several  reasons,  first,  for  the  good  of  the  institute 
(Sillirnan),  and  second  for  the  ways  in  which  the  med- 
ical work  of  the  mission  might  be  aided  by  my  hold- 
ing such  an  appointment. 

“The  large  majority  of  our  students  are  sons  and 
relatives  of  the  provincial  and  municipal  officials  and 
the  municipality  of  Dumaguete  is  paying  the  tuition 
of  three  or  four  students,  therefore,  because  of  this 
relation  between  the  officials  and  the  school  and  their 
seeming  earnest  desire  to  have  me  accept,  it  seemed 
wise  to  do  so.  My  position  will  bring  me  in  contact 
with  the  officials  of  twenty-four  towns  of  the  province, 
thus  giving  me  a splendid  opportunity  to  work  in  the 
interests  of  the  school  (the  first  mission  school  in  the 
Philippines).  Dr.  Hills,  the  army  surgeon,  and  I are 
the  only  physicians  in  Dumaguete,  and  there  is  only 
one  other  medico  in  the  province.  Had  I declined 
254 


J.  A.  HALL,  M.  p.,  ILOILO,  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS. 


Where  Little  is  Done 


the  appointment,  a new  man  and  one  who  knows  the 
language,  would  have  been  sent  in  here.  This  might 
not  be  important  a year  hence,  but  now  before  our 
work  is  thoroughly  established  and  I am  not  familiar 
with  the  language,  I feel  that  the  less  competition  we 
have,  the  better  will  be  our  opportunity  to  lay  founda- 
tion for  future  work.  The  man  who  would  have  been 
sent,  is  an  ex-contract  army  surgeon  who  was  stationed 
here  for  more  than  a year,  and  while  he  is  popular 
with  the  natives,  he  has  a most  unsavory  reputation 
among  those  who  attempt  to  maintain  any  high  stand- 
ard of  morality,  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  Christian 
people  of  Dumaguete  that  his  return  to  the  town 
would  be  a detriment  to  our  mission  work.  For  your 
further  enlightenment,  I will  state  that  the  work  will 
not  interfere  with  my  own  mission  work, — this  is 
thoroughly  understood  by  all  concerned,  it  is  also 
understood  that  I am  to  hold  the  appointment  for  one 
year  only.” 

Dr.  Brown’s  Report  further  states  : “ In  Iloilo,  we 

already  have  a hospital,  which  is  a model  for  a new 
institution,  that  might  well  be  imitated  in  other  places. 
Instead  of  calling  on  the  Board  for  an  appropriation, 
Dr.  Flail  and  Mr.  Hibbard  canvassed  the  local  com- 
munity, setting  forth  the  advantages  of  a hospital  in 
such  effective  ways,  that  the  entire  sum  requisite  was 
subscribed,  Chinese,  Filipinos,  Mestizos,  Spaniards, 
Americans  and  Englishmen,  contributing.  The 
amount  was  not  large,  but  in  that  respect,  also,  Dr. 
Hall  showed  his  good  sense.  An  expensive  institution 
was  not  required  at  first ; land  was  leased  for  two 
255 


Opportunities 


years  at  three  dollars,  Mexican,  a month,  and  for 
$550,  Mexican,  a neat  building  of  bamboo  and  nipa 
was  erected.  It  includes  a dispensary,  reception 
room,  operating  room,  and  two  small  wards  of  four 
beds  each,  one  for  men  and  one  for  women.  The  dis- 
pensary attendance  has  already  reached  150  in  a 
single  day,  and  the  hospital  is  powerfully  aiding  the 
mission  work.  In-patients  pay  ten  cents  a day  for 
their  food,  but  no  regular  fee  has  been  fixed  for  the 
dispensary,  patients  simply  furnishing  their  bottles  and 
paying  something  or  nothing,  as  they  are  able,  usually 
the  latter.  A native  helper  and  his  wife  live  in  the 
hospital  and  every  patient  hears  the  gospel  in  some 
form,  either  from  Dr.  Hall,  Mrs.  Hall,  or  the  helper 
and  his  wife,  sometimes  by  all  four. 

“ There  are  medical  missions  and  medical  missions. 
Dr.  Hall  rightly  believes  in  and  practices  the  latter. 
He  does  not  argue  ‘ that  the  ordained  man  should  look 
after  the  souls  while  he  cares  for  the  bodies.’  He 
talks  with  individuals,  leads  prayer  meetings,  con- 
ducts inquirers’  classes,  and  takes  his  turn  in  preach- 
ing. The  suffering  patient  is  thinking  not  of  his 
spiritual,  but  of  his  physical  disease.  To  him  the 
foreigner  who  can  relieve  that  is  the  great  man — al- 
most a god  sometimes.  If  the  medical  missionary 
leaves  the  treatment  of  the  spiritual  malady  to  some 
one  else  who,  perhaps,  is  personally  unknown  to  the 
patient,  and  who  even  if  known,  has  no  special  claim 
upon  him,  the  patient  inevitably  concludes  that  the 
physician  himself  regards  the  spiritual  as  of  compara- 
tively minor  importance.  I believe  that  everywhere, 
256 


Where  Little  is  Done 


as  in  Iloilo,  the  medical  missionary  should  have  direct 
charge  of  and  actively  participate  in  the  evangelistic 
work  of  the  hospital  and  dispensary.  He  may  have 
assistance,  but  the  spiritual  influence  of  the  physician 
in  charge  should  pervade  every  department.  Such 
medical  work  will  be  a powerful  factor  in  disarming 
prejudice  and  opposition,  in  creating  evangelistic  op- 
portunities, and  in  reenforcing  the  general  work  and 
purpose  of  the  mission.  For  such  medical  work, 
there  is  ample  room  and  great  need  in  dealing  with 
the  antipathies  of  a semi-Romish,  semi-heathen  popu- 
lation. Unquestionably  our  hospital  has  powerfully 
promoted  the  conditions  which  have  made  both  the 
Baptist  and  the  Presbyterian  work  so  successful  in  the 
province  of  Iloilo. 

“I  asked  not  only  missionaries  of  our  own  and 
other  Boards,  but  army  surgeons,  whether  women 
physicians  were  needed  in  the  Philippines.  The  an- 
swers were  unanimous  in  the  negative,  all  physicians, 
both  military  and  civil,  declaring  that  women  patients 
are  as  accessible  to  men  physicians  as  in  America,  and 
that  they  do  not  show  the  slightest  reluctance  to  call 
upon  them.  This  being  the  case,  and  the  population 
of  Iloilo  and  Dumaguete  not  being  large  enough  to 
justify  the  maintenance  of  two  physicians,  there  is  no 
present  necessity  for  sending  women  medical  mission- 
aries to  the  Philippines.” 


257 


Summary  of  Medical  Missionary  Work 


MEXICO,  CENTRAL  AMERICA,  SOUTH 
AMERICA,  ALASKA,  ISLANDS. 

Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 

San  Luis  Potosi  medical  work 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church , North. 

Guanajuata  IP.  Romita  D. 

Silao  H. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church , South. 

San  Luis  Potosi  medical  work 

Moravian  Missionary  Society,  German. 
Paramaribo,  Surinam  medical  work 

Missionary  Pence  Association,  English. 

Up  the  Tocantins  River,  Brazil  medical  work 

Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  North. 

Sao  Paulo,  Brazil  D. 

H.  M.  Lane,  M.  D. 

Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  South. 
Pernambuco,  Brazil  medical  work 

South  American  Evatigclical  Mission. 
medical  work 
25S 


Uruguay 


Summary  of  Medical  Missionary  Work 


South  American  Missionary  Society,  English. 


Cholcol,  Chile  (Auracanian  Mis.) 

H. 

D. 

Chaco,  Paraguay 

H. 

D. 

Pernambuco,  Brazil 

H. 

D. 

Bocas  del  Toro,  Central  America 

medical  work 

CANADA  AND  LABRADOR. 

Canadian  Methodist  Missionary  Society. 

Port  Essington,  Canada  H.  D. 

Port  Simpson,  Canada  H.  D. 

Rivers  Inlet,  Canada  H.  D. 


Church  Missionary  Society. 


Blackf'oot  Crossing,  Saskatchewan 

H. 

D. 

Claxton,  Canada 

H. 

D. 

Onion  Lake,  Canada 

medical  work 

St.  Peter’s,  Canada 

H. 

U. 

Metlakahtla 

H. 

D. 

Mission  to  the  Deep  Sea  Fishermen. 

Battle  Harbor,  Labrador  H.  D. 

Indian  Harbor,  Labrador  II.  D. 

Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel,  English. 
Lytton,  Canada  PI.  D. 

ALASKA. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Mission. 

Unalaska  A.  W.  Newhall,  M.  D. 

Moravian  Mission. 

Bethel  Rev.  J.  H.  Ronrig,  M.  D. 

Presbyterian  Board  of  Home  Missions,  North. 

Sitka  H. 

Nellie  S.  Shulean,  M.  D. 
Gambell,  (St.  Lawrence  Island)  D.  E.  O.  Gambell,  M.  D. 

Cape  Smyth,  Point  Barrow  Rev.  H.  R.  Marsh,  M.  D. 


259 


Opportunities 


Protestant  Episcopal  Mission. 

Skagway  H.  Rampart  II. 

Circle  City  H.  Nome  H. 

JAPAN. 

American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions. 
Kobe  D.  Osaka  H.  2 D. 

American  Friends'  Board  of  Foreign  Missions. 
Tokyo  H.  D. 

Church  Missionary  Society,  English. 

Hakodate  D.  Kumamato  II.  D. 

Foreign  Christian  Missionary  Society. 

Akita  2 D. 

Protestant  Episcopal  Missionary  Society. 

Osaka  H.  D.  Kioto  D. 

Tokyo  II.  2 D. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Missionary  Society. 
Nagasaki  H.  U. 

Independent. 

Kyoto  H.  I).  Tokyo  4 D. 

Tokyo  H.  U. 

ISLANDS  OF  THE  SEA. 

Porto  Rico. 

Presbyterian  Board  of  Plome  Missions. 

San  Juan  Grace  Williams  Atkins,  M.  D. 

Jane  H.  Harris,  M.  D. 

The  Philippine  Islands. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Missionary  Society. 

Medical  work 


260 


Summary  of  Medical  Missionary  Work 


Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions. 

Founded 

Iloilo  H.  1901 

J.  Andrew  Hall,  M.  D. 

Damaguete  medical  work  1902 

H.  \V.  Langheim,  M.  D. 

DUTCH  EAST  INDIES,  ETC. 

Mennonite  Missionary  Society , Netherlands. 

Kedoeng-pendjalin,  Java  D. 

Mergaredja,  Java  D. 

Reformed  Churches  in  the  Netherlands. 
Djokjakarta,  Java  H.  D. 

Rhenish  Missionary  Society  in  Barmen , Germany. 
Gumbu  Humene,  Nias  D. 

Dutch  Missionary  Society. 

Surabaya,  Java  H. 

American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions. 
Kusai,  Micronesia  medical  work 

New  Hebrides  Mission,  Australia. 

Ambyrn,  New  Hebrides  H.  D. 

Santo,  New  Hebrides  D. 

Presbyterian  Church  of  Victoria,  Australia. 

H°gg  Harbor,  New  Hebrides  medical  work 

St.  Philip  Bay,  New  Hebrides  medical  work 

Presbyterian  Church  of  New  Zealand. 

Ambyrn,  New  Hebrides  medical  work 

United  Free  Church  of  Scotland. 

Aneitum,  New  Hebrides  medical  work  Fiji  medical  work 
Futuna,  New  Hebrides  medical  work  Madeira  medical  work 
261 


STATISTICS  OF  HOSPITALS,  DISPENSARIES, 
AND  PATIENTS  TREATED  ANNUALLY 
HOSPITALS  AND  DISPENSARIES 


Location. 

Number 

of 

Hospitals. 

Number 
of  Dis- 
pensaries. 

Hospital 

In- 

patients. 

Total  of 
Individual 
Patients. 

Total 

Number  of 
Treatments. 

Africa 

43 

I07 

5-326 

139,283 

486,459 

Alaska 

3 

4 

191 

Arabia 

I 

4 

7,380 

27,525 

Burma 

7 

9 

840 

22,620 

13,122 

Canada  and  Lab- 

rador  

IO 

1 1 

335 

S’l76 

10,865 

Ceylon 

4 

IO 

393 

9-324 

15,911 

China 

128 

245 

34.523 

685,047 

•,674,571 

Formosa  .... 

3 

3 

632 

4.948 

•7,524 

India 

1 1 1 

25>5 

22,503 

842,600 

2,453,020 

Japan  

8 

17 

782 

35- *95 

68,845 

Korea 

8 

•5 

1.444 

28,968 

74,224 

Madagascar  . . . 

3 

9 

329 

19,349 

40,277 

Malaysia 

3 

7 

4IO 

8,380 

47.943 

Mexico 

2 

5 

6,338 

7,221 

Oceania 

2 

2 

97 

2,885 

Palestine  .... 

11 

21 

3.655 

72,881 

184,156 

Persia 

6 

13 

1,01$ 

38,646 

120,577 

Siam  and  Laos  . . 

7 

I I 

263 

14,644 

25,986 

South  America  . . 

3 

5 

2,794 

4,041 

Syria 

6 

*7 

1,226 

27,685 

62,877 

Turkey 

IO 

•3 

1,094 

37,778 

88,076 

Proportionate ' 

379 

783 

75.058 

2,009,036 

5,426,105 

estimate  for  45 

hospitals  and  X 13 

338,744 

1,016,322 

dispensaries  not 

reporting 1 . . . 

Totals 


379  783  85>i69  2,347.780  6,442,427 


1 The  following  Hospitals  and  Dispensaries  included  in  the  379  and  783 
mentioned  above  failed  to  report  statistics: 


Africa 

Hospitals. 
18 

Dispen. 

saries. 

16 

Madagascar 

Hospitals. 

Dispen 

saries. 

3 

Alaska 

3 

Malaysia 

1 

2 

Canada  and  L 

abrador..  4 

4 

Oceania 

1 

1 

Ceylon 

3 

Palestine 

3 

China 

6 

26 

Siam  and  Laos  ... 

1 

Formosa 

I 

1 

South  America . . 

3 

India 

6 

21 

Syria 

3 

Japan 

Korea 

2 

1 

Totals 

45 

"3 

From  14  Centennial  Survey  of  Foreign  Missions,”  by  the  Rev.  James  S. 
Dennis,  D.  D. 


262 


Mission  to  Lepers  in  India  and  the  East 
FIELD  OF  OPERATIONS 


INDIA,  BURMA,  CEYLON,  CHINA,  JAPAN  AND 
SUMATRA 

Churches  and  Societies  in  connection  with  the  work 


American  Baptist  Mis- 
sionary Union. 

American  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions. 

American  Mennonite  Mis- 
sion. 

American  Methodist  Epis- 
copal. 

American  Presbyterian. 

American  United  Presby- 
terian. 

Baptist  Missionary  Soci- 
ety. 


(21  in  all). 

Basel  Missionary  Soci- 
ety. 

Canadian  Baptist  Mis- 
sionary Society. 

Church  Missionary  So- 
ciety. 

Church  of  Scotland. 

Foreign  Christian  Mis- 
sionary Society. 

Friends’  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society. 

German  Evangelical 
Miss.  Society,  U.S.A. 


Gossner’s  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Mission. 

Kurku  and  Central  In- 
dia Hill  Mission. 

London  Missionary  So- 
ciety. 

Reformed  Presbyterian. 

United  Free  Church  of 
Scotland, 

Wesleyan  Missionary 
Society. 

Zenana  Bible  and  Med- 
ical Mission. 


Stations 

INDIA,  BURMA,  CEYLON  ( 


Allahabad,  N.W.P. 
Alleppey,  Travancore. 
Almora,  N.W.P. 

Ambala,  Panjab. 

Asansol,  Bengal. 

Attingal,  Travancore. 
Baba  Lakhan,  Panjab. 
Baidyanath,  Bengal. 
Bhagalpur,  Behar. 
Bombay. 

Calcutta. 

Chamba,  Panjab. 

Calicut,  Malabar  Coast. 
Chandag,  Pithoragarh, 
Chandkuri,  C.P.  [N.W.P. 
Colombo,  Ceylon. 

Dehra,  N.W.P. 

Dhamtari,  C.P. 


Dharmsala,  Panjab. 
Ellichpur,  Berar. 

Harda,  C.P. 

Jabalpur,  C.P. 
Lohardugga,  Bengal. 
Ludhiana,  Panjab. 
Madras. 

Mandalay,  Burma. 
Mangalore,  Malabar 
Coast. 

Maulmain,  Lr.  Burma. 
Miraj,  Bombay  P. 
Moradabad,  N.W.P. 
Mungeli,  C.P. 
Muzalfarnagar,  N.W.P. 
Nasik. 

Neyoor,  Travancore. 
Patpara,  C.P. 


62  in  all) 

Poladpur,  Kolaba  Dist. 
Poona. 

Piu,  Kolaba  Dist. 
Purulia,  Bengal. 

Raipur,  C.P. 
Ramachandrapuram. 
Raniganj,  Bengal. 
Rawal  Pindi,  Panjab. 
Rurki,  N.W.P. 

Sabathu,  Panjab. 
Saharanpur,  N.W.P. 
Sehore,  Bhopal. 
Sholapur,  Bombay  P. 
Tarn  Taran,  Panjab. 
Trevandrum,  Travan- 
core. 

Udaipur,  Rajputana. 
Wardha,  C.P. 


CHINA, 

Foochow,  Fuh-Kien. 
Hangchow,  Che-Kiang. 
Hiao  Kan,  Hankow. 

Lake  Toba,  Sumatra. 


JAPAN,  AND  SUMATRA 

Kien  Ning  Fu,  Fuh-  I Kien. 

Kien.  j Kumamoto  and  Tokio, 

Kucheng,  Fuh-Kien.  Japan. 

Yen  Ping  Fu,  Fuh-  | Lo  Ngwong,  Fuh-Kien. 

263 


Asylums  or  Hospitals  of  the  British  Society  (27  in  all) 
INDIA  AND  BURMA 


Alleppey,  Travancore. 
Asansol,  Bengal. 
Bhagalpur,  Bengal. 
Calicut,  Malabar  Coast. 
Chandag.  Pithoragarh. 
Chandkuri,  C.P. 
Lohardugga,  Bengal. 
Mandalay,  Upper  Burma. 


Mangalore,  Malabar 
Coast. 

Miraj,  Bombay  P. 
Mungeli,  C.P. 

Neyoor,  Travancore. 
Patpara,  C.P. 

Poladpur,  Kolaba  Dis- 
trict. 


Pui,  Kolaba  District. 
Purulia,  Bengal. 
Ramachandrapuram. 
Raniganj,  Bengal. 
Rurki,  N.W.P. 
Sholapur.  Bombay  P. 
Wardha,  C.P. 


CHINA  AND  JAPAN 

Hangchow,  Che-Kiang  I Kucheng,  Fuh-Kien.  I Hiao  Kan,  Hankow. 
(3).  ] Tokio,  Japan. 


Homes  for  the  Untainted  Children  of  Lepers  (14  in  all) 


Almora,  N.W.P. 
Asansol,' "Bengal. 
Attingal,  Travancore. 
Chandkuri,  C.P. 
Lohardugga,  Bengal. 
Mungeli,  C.P. 


Neyoor,  Travancore. 
Mandalay,  Upper  Bur- 
ma. 

Poladpur.  Kolaba  Dist. 
Purulia,  Bengal. 

1 Raniganj,  Bengal. 


Roha,  Kolaba  District. 
Tarn  Taran.  Panjab. 
Hangchow,  Che-Kiang, 
China. 

Lo  Ngwong,  Fuh-Kien, 
China. 


Aided  Institutions  (18  in  all) 


Allahabad.N.W.P.(Nynee 

Asylum). 

Almora,  N.W.P. 

Ambala,  Panjab. 

Chamba,  Panjab. 
Dhamtari,  C.P. 


Dehra,  N.W.P.  (Mac- 
Laren  Leper  Asylum). 
Ellichpur,  Berar. 
Kumamoto,  Japan. 

Lake  Toba,  Sumatra. 
Ludhiana,  Panjab. 
Saharanpur,  N.W.P.  (2). 


Maulmain,  Lr.  Burma. 
Moradabad,  N.W.P. 
Muzaflarnagar,  N.W.P. 
Nasik. 

Raipur,  C.P. 

Sabathu,  Panjab. 


to  us  for  Christian  Instruction 


Places  open 

Baba  Lakhan,  Sialkot, 
Panjab. 

Calcutta. 

Colombo. 

Dharmsala,  Panjab. 


Madras. 

Matunga,  Bombay. 
Poona. 

Rawal  Pindi.  Panjab. 
Sehore,  Bhopal. 

Yen  Ping  Fu,  China. 


Tarn  Taran,  Panjab. 
Trevandrum,  Travan- 
core. 

Kien  Ning  Fu,  China. 
Lo  Nguong,  China. 


The  number  of  inmates  in  the  Society’s  Homes — adults  and  children — is 
about  1,900;  those  in  aided  institutions,  about  2.400.  Children  in  our  own 
Homes,  about  400;  children  in  aided  institutions,  about  200.  Total  number 
receiving  help,  about  4,600. 

From  “ Without  the  Camp.'* 


264 


C&Uj*n  ^ Babujav\  TeUvioL 
/iv'P.  iln6amo 


265 


266 


267 


(Germ  an  ) 


268 


KAMERUN 
WEST  AFRICA 


269 


270 


SOUTH  TA  Cl  M C OCEAN 


271 


Index 


Acupuncture,  21,  42. 

Africa,  work  in — Baraka,  21 1 ; 
Batanga,  212;  Benito,  21 1, 
212;  Elulen,  213 ; Elat,  214 ; 
Summary,  224-227. 

Ai  Keo,  no, 

Alaskan  life,  236-244. 

“ work,  236  ; Summary, 
259,  260. 

Allahabad,  India,  127-9. 

Allen,  Dr.  N.  H.,  Korea,  22. 
Ambala,  India,  133. 

Anwangi,  20. 

Arabia,  Medical  ideas  in,  176; 
Summary  of  work  done,  203. 

Bangkok,  Siam,  83-S5,  93. 
Barranquilla,  South  America, 
231. 

Batanga,  W.  Africa,  212. 
Beginning  Work,  26-35. 

Beirut,  Syria,  165-171. 

Benito,  W.  Africa,  21 1,  212. 
Birth  customs  in  other  lands, 
123,  124,  148,  208. 

Bradley,  Dr.  D.  B.,  Siam,  83, 
84,  100. 

Brazil,  231,  233. 

Canada  and  Labrador  Sum- 
mary, 259. 

Canton,  China,  4,  12,  47,  49, 
5x-54- 

Central  America,  work  in, 
229. 


Chamberlain,  Dr.  Jacob,  India, 

„ 4. 

China,  work  in,  Canton,  4,  12, 
47,  49,  51-54;  Chinanfu, 
64-68 ; Chining  Chow,  68  ; 
Hainan,  55,  56;  Hunan, 
55;  Ichowfu,  68;  Lien 
Chow,  54,  55  ; Ningpo,  56- 
61  ; Nodoa,  56;  Paotingfu, 
62,  63;  Peking,  61-63; 

Sam  Kong,  54,  55  ; Soo- 
chow,  61  ; Tungchovv,  64; 
Summary,  77-82. 

Chieng  Mai,  Laos,  98,  100- 
103,  110,  11 1. 

Chieng  Rai,  Laos,  113. 

Chile,  South  America,  232, 
235- 

Chinanfu,  China,  64-68. 

Chining  Chow,  China,  68. 

Chinese  characteristics,  69,  70. 

Cholera,  18,  19,  56,  87-89, 
118-120;  Dr.  Cyrus  Ham- 
lin’s Rules  for  Cure,  194- 
201. 

Christmas  in  Syria,  165-169. 

Church  of  England,  Medical 
Mission  Work  of,  n. 

Classes,  Medical,  23,  25,  29, 
36,  129,  159,  170. 

Cochran,  Dr.  J.  P.,  Persia, 
148,  15 1,  152,  155. 

Colombia,  South  America,  231. 

Cost  of  Hospitals,  11,12,13,  23> 
130, 132,  152,  1 8 1 , 214,  256. 


273 


Index 


Deep  Sea  Fishermen,  Mis- 
sion to  the,  235-236. 

Devil  worshipers,  120. 
Diseases  of  countries,  17,  18, 
44,  99,  100,  1 18,  121,  147, 
178,  205,  208,  234. 
Dumaguete,  Philippines,  253- 

255- 

Eddy,  Mary  P.,  M.  D.,  186- 
194. 

Edinburgh  Medical  Missionary 
Society,  47,  48. 

Efulen,  W.  Africa,  213,  214. 
Elat,  W.  Africa,  214. 

Episcopal  medical  work,  13. 
Eskimo,  4,  236-244. 

Evil  eye,  121,  125,  148,  176. 

Face,  Change  in,  6. 

Famine,  III,  132,  184. 

Father  of  Medicine,  The, 
(Siam),  92,  93. 

Fees,  64,  66,  96,  154,  159,  170. 
191,  192. 

Ferozepore,  India,  135. 

First  Medical  Class  for 
Women,  118. 

First  Woman  Medical  Mission- 
ary, 1 1 7. 

Foot-binding,  China,  72-74. 
Furniture  of  hospitals,  96,  102, 

113.  135.  J53- 

Fusan,  Korea,  17,  24. 

Ginseng.  21. 

Grant,  Dr.  Asahel,  Persia,  6, 

145-  1 48- 

Gratitude,  8,  10,  71,  90, 

100. 

Guanajuato,  Mexico,  228. 
Gutzlaff,  Dr.,  83. 


Hainan,  China,  55,  56. 
Ramadan,  Persia,  15 1,  160, 

161. 

Health  Rules,  121,  194-201, 
219-220. 

Hepburn,  Dr.  J.  C.,  Japan, 
247-250. 

Hospitals  at  home,  11,  12,  13, 
188. 

Hospital  lessons,  6,  7,  54,  55, 
56,  93,  128. 

House,  Dr.  S.  R.,  Siam,  84-90, 
96. 

Ichowfu,  China,  68. 

Iloilo,  Philippines,  253,  255- 
257. 

Inadequate  supplies,  54,  55, 

1 15.  !33>  157. 

162,  179-183,  188,  206, 

223,  232-235. 

India,  First  missionaries,  117  ; 
Work  in  Allahabad,  127- 
129;  Arnbala,  133;  Fer- 
ozepore, 135;  Lahore,  133; 
Miraj,  130-132;  Sabathu, 
134;  Sangli,  129;  Sum- 
mary, 140- 144. 

Infanticide,  72,  122. 

Insane  Asylums,  13,  39,  51- 
53-  94,  146,  178- 
Islands  of  the  sea,  summary, 
260-261. 

Itineration,  7,  20,  25,  32,  t)6- 
99,  1 1 1,  1 12,  156,  157,  161, 
162,  186-194,  215-218. 

Japan,  Work  in,  244;  Sum- 
mary, 260. 

Japanese  Nobleman,  A,  246. 
Julfa,  Persia,  147,  151. 

“ Kalamazoo,  The,”  Siam,  98. 


274 


Index 


Kerr,  Dr.  J.  G.,  China,  4,  49- 
53- 

Korea,  The  opening  of,  22 ; 
Work  in,  Fusan,  24;  Pyeng 
Yang,  23;  Seoul,  22,  27-32, 
35  ; Taiku,  24 ; Summary, 
3s- 

Korean  Bible  translation,  35, 

36- 

Lack  of  Sanitation,  18,  94, 
95.  177.  236-244- 

Lahore,  India,  1 33. 

Lakawn,  Laos,  ill. 

Lampoon,  Laos,  1 1 2. 

Language  study,  27,  28,  33-35. 

Laos,  Work  in,  Chieng  Mai, 
98,  loo-  103 ; Chieng  Rai, 
1 13;  Lakawn,  ill;  Lam- 
poon, 1 12;  Nan,  1 14,  1 1 5 ; 
Pre,  1 1 2 ; Summary,  1 1 6. 

Largest  work,  4,  n,  12,  49, 
126. 

Lepers,  100,  134,  162,  191,  208. 

Lien  Chow,  54,  55. 

Livingstone,  Dr.  David,  Africa, 
3,  207. 

Love  of  Christ,  54,  193-194, 
220-222. 

Malaria,  Dr.  Cyrus  Hamlin’s 
Rules  for  Cure,  201. 

Manila,  Philippines,  251,  252. 

Manuel  Aguas,  Mexico,  229, 
230. 

McCartee,  Dr.  D.  B.,  China 
and  Japan,  56-61,  248,  250. 

McGilvary,  Rev.  Daniel,  D.  D., 
Laos,  99,  1 1 2. 

Medical  training,  4,  10,  56, 
67. 

Medicine  men,  Africa,  206, 
209-2 u. 


Mexico,  Work  in,  229  ; Sum- 
mary, 258. 

Miraj,  India,  130-132. 

Moffatt,  Dr.,  Africa,  207. 
Mortality,  17,  39,  85,  1 1 8. 

Naicawn,  Laos,  94,  97. 

Nan,  Laos,  1 14,  115. 

Nassau,  Dr.  R.  H.,  Africa, 
211,  218,  219. 

Native  doctors,  21,  40,  41, 

42,  44,  104,  120,  206, 

232- 

Native  medical  treatment,  21, 
29,  40,  41,  42,  74-76,  103, 
146,  147,  206,  210. 

Native  students,  36,  63. 

Needs,  14,  15,  39. 

Newton,  Dr.  John,  134. 
Neyoor,  India,  126. 

Number  of  hospitals,  12,  39, 
1 1 8. 

Number  of  medical  mission- 
aries, 11,  14,  16,  39,  125, 
y 223,  233,  234. 

Nurses,  Trained  native,  no, 
246. 

Operations,  4,  23,  24,  28,  37, 

43,  50,  58,  124,  147,  166- 
168,  183,  186,  187,  21 1. 

Opium,  74,  135,  160. 
Opposition,  183,  185. 

Orinoco  Indians,  Colombia, 
South  America,  231. 

Paotingfu,  China,  62-64. 
Parker,  Dr.  Peter,  China,  47- 
49- 

Patagonian  customs,  232. 
Paucity  of  work  in  South 
America,  231. 

Payment,  8-10,  24,  66,  115, 


275 


Index 


153.  «54,  158.  159,  191- 

192,  256. 

Peking,  China,  61-63. 

Persia,  Work  in,  Hamadan, 

1 5 1 , 160,  161  ; Tabriz,  155, 
156;  Teheran,  157-160; 
Urumia,  145,  148,  149,  152- 
155;  Summary,  164. 

Petchaburee,  Siam,  93,  94,  95, 
96. 

Philippines,  Work  in,  Duma- 
guete,  253-255  ; Iloilo,  253, 
255-257  ; Manila,  252;  Sum- 
mary, 260,  261. 

Photograph  worship,  Chile, 
232. 

Physicians,  14,  15,39,42,  ill, 
125,  171. 

Pilgrimage  to  Andacollo, 
Chile,  235. 

Porto  Rico,  224. 

Post,  Dr.  George  E.,  Syria, 
165,  170,  17 1. 

Pie,  Laos,  1 1 2. 

Prescriptions,  Native,  21,  74- 
76,  92,  126,  176. 

Pyeng  Yang,  Korea,  23,  34, 

35- 

Quality  of  Medical  Mis- 
sionary, 2,  4,  5,  10. 

Quinine,  18,  69,  99,  218. 

Rajaburef.,  Siam,  96. 

Receipts,  Native,  43,  74-76, 
92,  176. 

Responsibility,  10,  133. 

Results,  22,  71,  93,  94,  100, 
127,  130,  1 49—  1 5 1 , 154,  188- 
194,  220. 

Retrenchment,  135— 139. 

“ Rhythm  of  the  Pulse,”  41. 

2 


Sabathu  Leper  Asylum, 
India,  134. 

Sam  Kong,  China,  54,  55. 

Sangli,  India,  129. 

San  Juan,  Porto  Rico,  244. 

Sao  Paulo,  Brazil,  231. 

Self-support,  1 15. 

Senneh,  Persia,  162. 

Seoul,  Korea,  22,  27-32,  35. 

Siam,  Work  in,  Nakawn,  94, 
97  ; Petchaburee,  93,  94,  95, 
96 ; Pitsanuloke,  95 ; Ra- 
jaburee,  96 ; Summary  of 
Malay  Peninsula,  1 16. 

Siamese  Twins,  83. 

Sitka,  Alaska,  236. 

Skagway,  Alaska,  236. 

Smallpox,  19,  20,  43,  44, 

1 77- 

Soochow,  China,  61. 

South  America,  Work  in,  230, 
231  ; Summary,  25S,  259. 

Speaking  trumpet  efforts,  5. 

Spirits,  19,  44,  86-89,  92,  104- 
109,  1 14,  208-210. 

Suffering,  58,  121,  147. 

Superstitions,  18,  19,  20,  69, 
87-92,  176,  235. 

Supply  of  physicians,  14,  15, 
1 18,  125,  223,  234. 

Syria,  Work  in,  178,  179; 
Beirut  and  Mt.  Lebanon 
Traveling  Dispensary,  1X6- 
l94;Schweir,  194;  Tripoli, 
181,  1S2;  Summary,  202, 
203. 

Syrian  Protestant  College, 
Beirut,  170-172. 

Tabriz,  Persia,  155,  156. 

Taiku,  Korea,  24. 

Teheran,  Persia,  157-160. 

Theory  and  Practice,  Native, 

76 


Index 


91,  104,  146,  176,  206,  208, 
21 1,  212,  221. 

Training  of  physicians,  10,  23, 
29>  36-  53.  67-68,  1 18,  133, 
134,  159-161,  163,  170-172. 

True  Memorial  Sanitarium, 
Tokyo,  Japan,  245. 

Tungchow,  64. 

Turkey,  Work  in,  179;  Sum- 
mary, 202,  203. 

Undermining  Buddhism,  84. 

Urumia,  Persia,  145,  148,  149, 

Vaccination,  45,  100,  118. 

Value  of  hospitals,  6-8,  55,  67, 
68,  101,  102. 


Van  Dyck,  Dr.  C.  V.  A.,  Syria, 
172-174- 

Virgin  of  Andacollo,  Chile, 

235- 

“ Visitation  of  the  Philippine 
Mission,”  252,  255-257. 

Witchcraft,  105,  120,  211, 

2I5- 

Women,  72-74,  121-124,  125, 
132,  142,  147,  148,  157,  158, 

Women  Physicians  in  the 
Philippines,  257. 

“Wrath  matter,  ’ 70. 

Zitacuaro,  Mexico,  229. 


277 


Princeton  Theological  Seminar?  Librai 


1 1012 


01234  0933 


4 


